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A Guide to Thrash Metal Part IV: Hybrids

Welcome again to my final guide exploring Thrash Metal. This installment will focus on various hybrids of Thrash, mostly Techincal/Progressive Thrash, with some Blackened Thrash and Death-Thrash. Enjoy.

Absu: Absu are among the finest bands to blend Thrash with Black Metal. They are an eccentric band of Texans led by drummer and vocalist “Sir” Proscriptor McGovern. Absu’s debut, Barathrum VITROL, is fairly in the Death Metal camp and it was with subsequent releases that Absu began blending Thrash and Black into their own potent brew. Albums like Tara and the Sun of Tiphareph showcase this band’s adeptness and both writing epic songs and also furious Thrash fests that combine the best of both Thrash and Black Metal. I also quite like their lyrical content, which focuses on Mesopotamian and Celtic Mythologies. Rec albums: The Sun of Tiphareth, Tara, The Third Storm of Cythraul.

Anacrusis: One of my all time favorite Thrash acts. Anacrusis emerged from St. Louis in the mid 1980s playing a primal version of Thrash, what set them apart from their peers was frontman Kevin Nardi’s unique vocal stylings and their habit of tuning to B (down tuning 2.5 semi tones) in a time where that level of down tuning was utilized only by bands like Carcass. They showed promise early on, their Annihilation Complete demo had won a readers poll in the Metal Forces zine and as they toured they began to attract attention from labels and soon ended up on seminal Metal Blade records. Like some bands they evolved quickly, their debut Suffering Hour was a fairly straight ahead Thrash recording.

Their progressive period began with their sophomore release, 1990's Reason. This album showed signs of both musical and lyrical maturity but was hampered by poor production. Nardi’s lyrics began dealing with frank and everyday matters. Cliched lyrics of Satan, destruction, headbanging, etc were ditched like an empty pack of cigarettes. 1991's Manic Impressions was a strong album, taking the progressive side of things even further. Despite the progressive nature, this album retains a strong Thrash feel and doesn’t suffer from poor songwriting as every song is memorable and quite heavy in its own right. Their final release would be their most abstract and ambitious, 1993's Screams and Whispers is an album that sounds like no other. The production is dense and claustrophobic yet clear, Nardi’s vocals have improved immeasurably and, despite the vulnerabilities presented in his lyrics, he sounds confident, no longer relying on studio wizardly to toy with his voice. Keyboards would be brought in, but utilized in sparse and complimentary way that would shame most keyboard friendly bands. The songwriting is truly amazing and brings to shame most bands who wear ambition and talent on their sleeves but forget about crafting interesting songs (*cough* Dream Theater *cough*). Upon touring for this album the band encountered a series of calamities and tension with Metal Blade led to them breaking up. There’s an oft trotted Neil Young lyric that it’s better to burn out than to fade away. Anacrusis were perhaps proof that it’s best for a flame to burn longer before fading away so that the flame has had the chance to reach its apogee. Rec albums: Reason, Manic Impressions, Screams and Whispers. Be sure to check their website where you can get their entire discography, plus some other goodies, for free download.

Aura Noir: Mostly noted as being a project of Mayhem’s ex-guitarist Blasphemer. This is despite the fact that Blasphemer was a full time member of AN before he joined Mayhem. AN’s great contribution to the Blackend Thrash realm is the mighty and aptly titled Black Thrash Attack. Its an unrelenting 42 minutes combining the best of Thrash and Black Metal. It also features some pretty sick vocal stylings and you’d have a hard time telling that Blasphemer was a huge Voivod fan by some of the riffing in this project. Rec albums: Black Thrash Attack, The Merciless.

Carnivore: As I stated before, I’m not a fan of crossover. So the fact I’m including this band should be considered high praise. The mixing of the sacred and the profane is often one of the most important elements of satire. Carniovre, fronted by a firmly un-Goth Peter Steele, is a prime example of this. Carnivore’s hilarious lyrics are crass and all about taking the piss. With song titles like Male Supremacy and Angry Neurotic Catholics, you would expect the music to be equally blunt. However this isn’t the case. Carnivore’s music showed supreme songwriting ability, the core of their sound combining Thrash, NYHC and Doom to achieve stunning results. And because of their ability to combine amazing songwriting with crass lyrics, they offer something for everyone. Rec albums: Carnivore, Retaliation.

Coroner: One of my all time favorite Thrash acts. Coroner were aided in the early days by their countryman Tom Fischer who provided vocals for their seminal Death Cult demo. Coroner’s sound is firmly in the technical field but they don’t overdo it. Thus if you’re scared by a Voivod or a Anacrusis, this band is ideal for you. Coroner’s riff work is superb, fueled by Tommy Baron’s inventive and heavy guitar playing. The pinnacle of their technical ability is deftly showcased on 1991's Mental Vortex and my personal favorite album of theirs. Rec albums: R.I.P., Punishment for Decadence, No More Colour, Mental Vortex.

Deceased: Deceased began life more as a pure Death Metal act than anything else, although like many of their peers there was a distinct Thrash influence to their sound. Beginning with 1997's Fearless Undead Machine Deceased came into their own, their addictive sound combining Thrash, Death and Traditional Metal into their own potent brew. FUM is my personal favorite of them, and with zombies suddenly becoming very trendy, it’s a topical concept album to boot. I deal for putting on as background music when reading Max Brooks. Rec albums: Supernatural Addiction, Fearless Undead Machines, As the Weird Travel On.

Demolition Hammer: In a nutshell, Demolition Hammer sound like a thrashier version of Suffocation. Or perhaps Soffo are a deathier version of DH. Either way, if you chose to investigate DH, as you should, you’ll be presented with some of the heaviest, most pummeling Deathend Thrash out there. Although I detect some NYHC in their sound, they are without doubt a premier Thrash act, one whose intensity led to some Death Metal tinges. Another thing that pushes them to the top is a clear production which doesn’t sacrifice rawness. A band that will give even the most stoic Metalhead whiplash. Rec albums: Tortured Existence, Epidemic of Violence.

Desaster (Ger): A blackened Thrash band that more thankfully veer towards the Thrash spectrum. Their debut, A Touch of Medieval Darkness was slightly more biased in favor of BM elements and that album doesn’t really do much for me. They really started to get things going with Hellfire’s Dominion where they began showcasing a wonderful knack for writing anthemic Thrashers (songs like Teutonic Steel and Metalized Blood are prime examples). A good band who should fit everyone’s taste. Rec albums: Hellfire’s Dominion, 666 Satan’s Soldiers Syndicate.

Destroyer 666: Digging into you like the claws of a pack of starving wolves, D666's sound is deadly and dangerous and unrelenting. D666 are a fine example of raw BM production values, and BM’s penchant for epic songwriting, combining with the primal driving force of Thrash. This band of Australian Antichrists are equally adept at writing catchy and heavy Thrash fests and epic fare, thus they have something for everyone. An essential blackened-Thrash act. Rec albums: Unchain the Wolves, Phoenix Rising, Cold Steel...For an Iron Age.

Devastation: As an disambiguation, I will state that this is the Devastation from Corpus Christi, Texas. Riffs. They are an integral part of Metal, so much that they are taken for granted. And then you run into a band who’s riffage is a level above most bands, and then you’re reminded of what makes Metal great. Devastation were such a band. Categorized as Death/Thrash, they sound like the bridge between bands like Slayer and Kreator and bands like Death and Morbid Angel. Further aiding the riffage is top notch production which makes everything sound even heavier. Rec albums: Idolatry, Signs of Life.

Gehennah: If you like Motorhead and Venom, you will like these inebriated Swedes. Gehennah play a quite raw form of Thrash with some slight BM tinges, but they make no bones about their love for Lemmy, Cronos, alcohol, leather and Metal. Gehennah are an ideal band to listen to on a very loud sound system and after consumption of large amounts of alcohol. Gehennah make you want to drink and headbang for the rest of your life. Feel encouraged to Bang your heads for Satan with these Decibel Rebels. Rec albums: King of the Sidewalk, Hardrocker, Decibel Rebel.

Mekong Delta: One of the bigger progressive Thrash acts. Mekong’s progressive influences came more from the classical side of things, as opposed to bands like Watchtower or Anacrusis who were more influenced by jazz/prog rock. Right from the get-go they showed they weren’t content with writing simplistic Thrash. Their self titled debut is an amazing meld of progressive tendencies and kick ass Thrashing, as songs like Kill the Enemy and Shiva show in spades. Many consider their sophomore The Music of Erich Zann to be their best which plays like a refined and improved take on their self titled debut. The Principle of Doubt showed the classical side taking a more prominent role, with covers of the Twilight Zone theme and Julio Sagreras’ El Colibri making appearances. But this didn’t come at the expense of kick-ass Thrash. Dances of Death showed classical and progressive influences taking a bigger role, as the bulk of this fine album is taken up by the 17 minute title track and a monolithically crushing cover of Modest Mussorgsky’s Night on a Bare Mountain.

Albums like Kaleidiscope and Visions Fugitives brought more progressive and classical features, at times sacrificing the Thrash for something approaching the more general Progressive Metal field, but still very worthy efforts. This band’s only misstep was the ambitious Pictures at an Exhibition album, featuring two renditions of Mussorgy’s famous composition, one run through featuring band and orchestra and the other featuring band sans orchestra. Despite the admirable ambition, all this served to demonstrate was how nothing, not even a wall of Marshall stacks, can compare to the power of a full symphony orchestra. The band’s reunion album, 2007's Lurking Fear was seen as a return to the earlier style of their first couple of albums. As you can tell by looking at my playlist, I like this band a lot! Their only weakness really is that the various vocalists who’ve sung for this band have been less then stellar in their talents. Rec albums: Mekong Delta, Music of Erich Zann, Principle of Doubt, Dances of Death (And Other Walking Shadows), Visions Fugitives, The Lurking Fear.

Morbid Saint: Veni, vidi, vici. Those are the famous words of Julius Caesar, one of the great conquerors in history. Those words translate as I came, I saw, I conquered. That one sentence perfectly describes the career of Wisconsin’s Morbid Saint. They formed in 1986, released two demos and a single full length and disbanded 6 short years later. But sometimes to achieve quality, one must sacrifice quantity, and in the case of this band that is a worthy compromise. Spectrum of Death is simply one of the greatest, heaviest and most intense Thrash albums ever released. Such is its intensity that it seems to owe more to the still young Death Metal scene than anything else and in fact they caught the eye of Chuck Shuldiner and Spectrum was actually produce by Death’s manager. My first impression was that they sounded like an even heavier version of Sodom. They certainly took influence from the Teutonic Greats, and were no less influenced by the greats of the American scenes, and merged those into their own, impossibly potent brew. If you haven’t heard of this band, get Spectrum of Death now. No Thrash fan’s existence can be complete without this masterpiece. Rec album: Spectrum of Death.

Necrodeath: One of the first bands to emerge from Italy was also one of the nastiest. A thrash outfit with enough evilness and intensity to make Euronymous shit his satanic pants. Showing clear influences from early Bathory, Kreator and Slayer they created some of the most intense, raw and evil Thrash released at the time. Supreme songwriting manages to break through the brutality of it all. Into the Macabre made quite a stir in the underground when it was released. Their follow-up Fragments of Insanity was more technical and even Death Metal influenced. They split up shortly after its release but thankfully reformed nine years later. 2001's Black as Pitch is my personal fav of their new albums, oozing with thick atmosphere and raw intensity and ending with one of the greatest anti-Christian epics in Metal history with The Church’s Black Book. Rec albums: Into the Macabre, Fragments of Insanity, Black as Pitch.

Poison (Ger): One of the problems with last.fm is the difficulty of seperating different bands with the same name. This is most strikingly obvious in the case of Germany's Poison, a band who has absolutely nothing in common beyond a name with a certain american pop band of the 80s. They're listed as Death-Thrash but I feel its fairer to call them Blackened Thrash. In fact, given the time period when they were active I think its quite fair to lump them in with the first wave of Black Metal. Poison's music fits in very well with other first wave bands, especially Bathory and Hellhammer. The riffing is brutal and eerie, often at the same time, and is filled with potent atmosphere. Highly recommended. Rec albums: Into the Abyss . Further Into the Abyss [/ur].

[url=http://www.last.fm/music/PossessedPossessed: One of many acts who were there for the transition between Thrash and Death Metal. Possessed actually coined the term Death Metal. Musically its pure Thrash but due to the lyrical content, and the song Death Metal, they’ve been included in on the DM side of things. They were quite influential as well. A quite enjoyable and influential band, even if guitarist Larry Lalonde is too busy sailing the seas of cheese to acknowledge the importance of this band. Rec albums: Seven Churches, Beyond the Gates.

Protector: Imagine if Sodom, circa Obsessed by Cruelty/Sign of Evil, instead of streamlining their sound into what they would evolve into, decided instead to try their hand at what would become known as Death Metal. Further imagine that this early, fictional, incarnation of Sodom found a bunch of more than capable musicians, thus abandoning the sloppiness factor. Protector is roughly what you’d get. A German outfit who wrote great pummeling riffs to coincide with a lethal dose of headbanging speed. One of the best bands I’ve been introduced to while writing these guides. Rec albums: The Golem, Urm the Mad, A Shedding of Skin.

Rigor Mortis: One of the more riff-tastic Thrash outfits out there. They played Thrash with a respectable dose of Death Metal, especially in the lyrical department which read like a dash of Slayer mixed with a heavy love of gory B-movies. RM’s strength was due in main part to vocalist’s Bruce Corbitt’s very baritone range (one reviewer called him the Unicron of Thrash) and Mike Scaccia’s incredible riffing. The riffing is heavy, memorable, fast and catchy, all in the same breath, without compromising a single element of either of these. His soloing is also godlike in his frenetic energy. Scaccia’s thrashy riffing on Ministry’s Psalm 69 albums is one of the main elements that makes that album such a classic, and listening to this bands short output, its easy to see why Al Jourgensen recruited him. Rec albums: Freaks, Rigor Mortis, Vs. The Earth.

Ripping Corpse: Without a doubt, the best Metal band with the word Corpse in their name. A band that featured guitarist Erik Rutan, known more famously for his passable stint in Morbid Angel and the unrelentingly monotonous Hate Eternal. Much like bands like Morbid Saint and Devestator, they are the link between Thrash and Death Metal. Their brief material favors quite favorably with the output of early Death Metal acts like Morbid Angel and Obituary. Their songwriting was quite ambitious, showing lots of technicality and Doomy interludes mixed in with the faster stuff. Vocalist Scott Ruth was a strong asset as well, showing himself to be versatile in sounding like different demonic entities yet still remaining relatively coherent. Rec albums: Dreaming with the Dead, Splattered Remains.


Sabbat (Jap): This band has released too many releases for its own good. Not that they lack quality...there's just so many of them. Sabbat are an intimidating band to check out but one thats worth wading into. Sabbat's music is at times rather raw Black Metal, other times its highly melodic and rather catchy, other times its very thrashy. I myself don't know this band as well as I should, so this is based on what I've heard and so take it with a grain of satanic salt. My personal fav is The Dwelling, a sprawling 50 minute epic song. Rec albums: Satanasword, Evenom, Black Up Your Soul, Fetisichism, The Dwelling.

Sarcofago: They are in many ways typical of the bands within the first wave of Black Metal. Raw, dirty and quite evil. Playing raw Thrash Metal with a lyrical bent and a visual esthetic that we would come to recognize as Black Metal. Although there are times when they seem to not recognize that, or at the very least ignore it. You can’t imagine Immortal writing a song called Sex, Drinks and Metal can you? But then again, they also wrote a song called Fuck Off Melodic Black Metal. Sarcofago were inconsistent in terms of quality and when you think of it, not quite meriting a lot of mention beyond their seminal I.N.R.I. album and their early demos, but still worth touching on nonethless. Rec albums: I.N.R.I, Rotting.

Sadus: When one thinks of Metal guitar gods, names like Rhoads, Tipton, Shuldiner come to mind. When one thinks of Metal drum Gods, names like Hoglan, Mournier, Lombardo, Mcbain come to mind. Vocal Gods include names like Halford, Dio, Dickinson. But when one thinks of Bass Gods, the names are quite short. Les Claypool is an amazing bassist, but asides from Blind Illusion and the odd cover he’s had very little to do with Metal. Alex Webster from Cannibal Corpse comes to mind. But who else? Maybe Geddy Lee of Rush, but that would depend on if you consider Rush to be Metal or not. So you see that not too many names come to mind. Wether this is due to serial improper mixing, lack of talented bassists or too many bassists being guitar converts and not playing the instrument properly is difficult to say. Its most likely a combination of these factors.

Well, Sadus were blessed to have one Steve DiGiorgio within their ranks. A man whose bass playing sends tremors down to all the circles of hell. Luckily, Sadus are far more than a really god bassist. Sadus were a Death-Thrash outfit in the beginning. They would make a great Death-Thrash sandwich alongside Rigor Mortis and Morbid Saint. They became more technical as their career wore on and their more recent stuff leaves much to be desired. The most essential albums are their first three, which are a perfect combination of technicality alongside Thrash brutality. Rec Albums: Illusions(Chemical Exposure), Swallowed in Black, A Vision of Misery.

Sindrome: A band who if it weren’t for the advent of tape trading, or the modern equivalent of internet downloading, would’ve never come to light. Sindrome released only two demos in their short time together but I’ll take quality over quantity. Sindrome were notable for the very deep but still coherent vocals, think Rigor Mortis, and a relentless Thrash assault that owes a fair bit to Dark Angel. Together with a rather rough production they create a rather hellish atmosphere that not many Thrash releases have. Their second demo was a bit more ambitious, featuring more technical refinement and is basically a very short concept album. Very enjoyable and a must for any self respecting thrash fan. You can find these two demos for free on their website. Rec albums: Into the Halls of Extermination, Vault of Inner Conscience.

Voivod: Voivod are probably one of the most challenging Thrash bands to approach. You wouldn’t know it from their early albums, all heavily raw and unpolished (but still very good!), that would go on to become of the most daring and progressive acts in Metal history, let alone Thrash. But moving on from their Venom and Motorhead inspired works, Voivod weren’t content to make it easy for their fans to move on with them. There’s mainly the late Piggy’s Robert Fripp-inspired and otherwise unworldly riffing and Snake’s unique and decidedly un-Metal vocal style. Their music paints the picture of a dystopian future, where choas reigns supreme and technology enslaves humanity. This lyrical picture is matched by the musical one, as the discordant and unpredictable riffing synthesizes perfectly with the lyrics. The progressive period began with 1987's Killing Technology and not long thereafter it was difficult to quantify the Thrash in their sound, but it was always there, an omnipresent undercurrent. I’m not a fan of the Eric Forrest era but I feel they redeemed themselves well with the posthumous releases. Katorz and Infini brought back Voivod’s seminal punk influence alongside the progressive side, showing they’d managed to come full circle. R.I.P. Rec albums: War and Pain, Killing Technology, Dimension Hatross, Angel Rat, The Outer Limits, Nothingface, Infini.

Vulcano: A rather evil Brazillian band. Like MC5, their debut was a live album, although that’s where the similarity ends. They formed in 1981 as a NWOBHM act and as such proved highly influential on other Brazilian bands, especially when they underwent a stylistic change. Their studio full length was recorded and mixed in a single day, and is one of those records where this is a benefit and not a detriment. Bloody Vengeance is one of those albums that cannot be ignored or dismissed as background muzak. Bloody Vengeance grabs you firmly by the throat and never lets go for its merciless 24 minute (!) length. It’s the epitome of raw and primal Metal, loose and very spirited but not sloppy. Despite the raw production, the album sounds remarkably clear. Rec album: Bloody Vengeance

Watchtower: Another progressive entry. Watchtower a probably the most difficult to get into due to the vocal style which is very much in the higher range. They were arguably the first progressive Thrash band. The debut Energetic Disassembly was released in 1985, the golden year of Thrash. They took a heavy jazz influence and were thankfully able to perfectly integrate those influences into a Thrash template. Riffs are fast and intricate, riffs change abruptly and unpredictably, time changes are commonplace yet unforeseeable. Drumming and bass playing are equally intricate and technical. They reached their brief apogee with their next and last album, Control and Resistence. Despite the new vocalist, it sounds very much like a successful continuation of the previous record. Rec albums: Energetic Disassembly, Control and Resistance.


Well, that’s the last of it. I don’t know what the future entails as far as my journals go. These bunch of Thrash guides were the hardest to write, hence the long time between journals.
As usual I hope you enjoyed these guides, leave any comments and worthy bands if you wish. I leave you now with some links to various internet resources for Thrash that I found helpful while writing these guides.


Cedes’ top 50 Thrash albums list. Even if you don’t agree with him he makes some very compelling arguments.

Classic Thrash: Pretty good site with tons of (small) reviews.

Thrash Metal Guide: Another pretty good site.

The Encyclopedium Metallum is the greatest metal resource on the net. I find the following reviewers quite reliable when it comes to Thrash: Gutterscream, Gabometal86, UltraBoris (so long as you avoid his Voivod and Anacrusis reviews) and hells unicorn.














MetallicaMegadethveno mVenomMotorheadBlack SabbathSlayerSadusRigor MortisAnacrusisMekong DeltaPoisonSacrificeRazorSlaughterAnvilWatchtowerMorbid SaintCarnivoreType O NegativeSlayerKreatorSodomDestructionHoly MosesSindromeVoivodExodusForbiddenBlind IllusionPossessedToxikLaaz RockitSacred ReichDevastationSarcofagoVulcanoSepulturaArtilleryDark AngelDeath AngelTestamentRipping CorpseSadusCarnivoreGroovy AardvarkSabbatNecrodeaththrashthrash metalprogressive thrashdeath thrashblack thrashHellhammerCeltic FrostCoronerAbsu

20. Christian Fennesz & Ryuichi Sakamoto - Cendre

Zwischen den Guitar-Drones von Christian Fennesz und den Kompositionen des japanischen Ausnahmepianisten Ryuichi Sakamoto kommt es bei deren zweiter Zusammenarbeit endlich zu dem erwarteten Meilenstein, den viele schon beim ersten Album ersehnt hatten. Hässlich tiefe Gitarrenspuren werden konterkariert von luftig leichten Klavierfiguren. Sehr passend für den Herbst.

19. Celtic Frost - Monotheist

Das Combackalbum bildet zugleich den letzten Sargnagel für die Metalinstitution aus der Schweiz. Dabei schaffen es die Mannen um Tom G. Warrior sich gänzlich neu zu erfinden und zu zeigen, dass der Leichnahm "Metal" noch nicht ganz verwest ist. Ohne dieses Album wäre der Durchbruch der Heerscharen von Metalbands mit Ambient-Einschlag (u.a. Wolves in the Throne Room) nie möglich gewesen. Dadurch wurde Metal kulturell endlich wieder relevant.

18. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Show Your Bones

Dass die Wahl auf Show Your Bones gefallen ist, kann man als Konzessionsentscheidung werten. Alle drei Alben wären es wert, unter die besten 20 der abgelaufenen Dekade zu kommen. Fever to Tell ist räudig wild, It's Blitz poppig-tanzbar. Show Your Bones jedoch vereint alle Stärken der Band - vom glam-infizierten Rocker wie Gold Lion zu traurigen Perlen wie Way Out. Außerdem ist Karen O wohl die heißeste Rockröhre, die auf diesem Planeten wandelt.

17. Antony & The Johnsons - I Am a Bird Now

Wieder eine Konzessionsentscheidung. Denn The Crying Light aus diesem Jahr ist keinen Deut schlechter, als das Durchbruchsalbum von Antony Hegarty und seinen Mannen. Aber dieses Album machte Hegarty zu dem meistgefragten Künstler der letzten 10 Jahre. Er arbeitete u.a. mit Marianne Faithfull, Björk, Lou Reed und Yoko Ono zusammen und lieh seine Stimme auch dem Dance-Projekt Hercules & Love Affair.

16. Ulver - Blood Inside

Ein fast schon unhörbares Album. Zu viel passiert hier: Klassik wird mit Trip-Hop verbunden, orchestrale Arrangements mit Metal. Dazu Texte vom multitalent und okkultisten Julian Cope. Jedoch ist dieses Album das beste, was Ulver je veröffentlicht haben.

15. Daft Punk - Discovery

Ein Konzeptalbum einer Danceband? Unmöglich! Aber die verrückten Franzosen schaffen es, eine Geschichte um den Planeten Interstellar 555 zu schreiben und dabei Klassiker wie One More Time und Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger zu produzieren.

14. The White Stripes - White Blood Cells

Elephant war perfekter, Get Behind Me Satan ausgeflippter, Icky Thump rockiger - aber White Blood Cells ist roher, ungeschliffener. Alle Songs, knapp unter der 2 Minuten Grenze führen zu einem riesigen Zappelfaktor mit Hitpotenzial. Bestes Album dieses ungewöhnlichen Duos!

13. Isis - Oceanic

Post-Metal ist tot, da dürfte es kulturhistorisch keine Zweifel geben. Ob dieser Pfad des Musizierens eine Randnotiz bleibt, ist noch nicht geklärt. Solange darf man gerne zu den Klassikern des Genres greifen: Isis' Oceanic (wer es ausgefeilter mag: Panopticon), Cult of Luna's Salvation und quasi jedes Neurosisalbum. Meiner Meinung nach bildet jedoch Oceanic davon die Speerspitze, da es keine andere Band schafft, unbändige Metalriffs, riesige Melodiebögen und Konzept so zu vereinen wie hier. Allein die ersten 10 Sekunden von The Beginning and The End reichen um alle Zweifler zu überzeugen.


12. The Mars Volta - De-Loused in the Comatorium

Rick Rubin deutete es schon an, da gab es noch nicht einmal einen Namen für das da erscheinen sollte: "Dieses Album wird die Musikwelt verändern". Hardcore, Salsa, Prog, Pop - alles zusammen gibt das Potpourri aus dem die Musik von The Mars Volta besteht. Heute kann man der Aussage von Rick Rubin ohne zu Zögern zustimmen, muss aber anerkennen, dass es The Mars Volta danach nie mehr geschafft hatten, wie hier auf den Punkt zu musizieren. Ihnen ist die Kontrolle über ihre Einflüsse abhanden gekommen. Hoffen wir, dass irgendwann wieder Rick Rubin seine Hand an die Kompositionen der beiden Wuschelköpfe legt, sonst verkommen sie zu Belanglosigkeiten.

11. Sigur Ros - ( )

Was soll man über ein Album schreiben, welches keinen Namen trägt? Was soll man über Stücke schreiben, die keine Titel tragen? Was soll man über Kompositionen schreiben, die in ihrer Traurigkeit keinen Anhaltspunkt bieten? Sigur Ros sind so einzigartig, dass jeder Vergleich konstruiert wirkt. Als Warnung sollte folgendes (nur im Sinn wiedergegebenes) Zitat dienen: "Müsste man dieses Album rezensieren, also eine Kaufempfehlung aussprechen, müsste man ausdrücklich davon abraten, es sei denn, man wolle sich nach dem Hören von einem Hochhaus stürzen."

10. Burial - Untrue

Burial ist das größte Enigma der heutigen Musikwelt. Ein DJ, dessen Konterfei man nicht kennt, der sich jeglicher Kontaktaufnahme verweigert, aber von Radiohead, über Tool bis hin zu klassischen Komponisten zu fesseln weiß und remixen darf, was Rang und Namen hat. Seine eigenen Stücke hingegen sind in tiefen Bässen, unwirklichen Geräuschen und eine düsteren Industrieanlagen-Atmosphäre verwurzelt. Wer jemals mitten in der Nacht auf den Bus gewartet hat, kann vielleicht nachvollziehen, wie dieses Album klingt.

09. Sunn 0))) - Monoliths & Dimensions

Dieses Album schlägt eine Brücke zwischen Black Metal, Guitar-Drones, Ambient und Modern Komposition. Allein die Gästeliste lässt erahnen, dass Sunn 0))) sich von ihren Wurzeln gelöst haben: Julian Priester (Miles Davis) spielt Trompete, Oren Ambarchi (Electronic-Künstler) lässt die Synthies knarzen, Eyvid Kang (Komponist) arrangierte die gesamte Platte und fügte einen gregorianischen Chor zu den Stücken hinzu.

08. Spoon - Kill the Moonlight

Das beste Indie Rock Album dieser Dekade! Zitatreich wird gerockt: Elvis Costello und John Lennon sind hier die Säulenheiligen. Zudem gibt es mit The Way We Get By die Sommerhmyne Nr. 1 - noch vor Weezers Island in the Sun.

07. Arcade Fire - Funeral

Ohne dieses Album hätte es die Fleet Foxes oder Bon Iver nie gegeben. Nicht, dass es vorher keinen guten Indie Folk gegeben hätte, aber die Franco-Kanadier zeigen, wie man es richtig macht. Außerdem wäre es ein Frevel, würde man diese Band nicht als wichtigste Band der Neuzeit zählen, bei der langen Liste der Bewunderern.

06. The Strokes - Is This It

Haut enge Jeans, Nietengürtel und abgeranzte Lederjacken waren die Uniformen der Gefolgschaft um diese New Yorker. Dass nebenbei durch dieses Album die erste Hypewelle losgetreten wurde, braucht nicht mehr näher erwähnt werden. Was man festhalten muss, ist, dass The Strokes und ihr musikalisches Talent schmerzlich vermisst werden, blickt man auf die ganzen Versuche diesen Sound zu kopieren.

05. Tool - Lateralus

Perfek - das war das Adjektiv der Stunde, als dieses Album das Licht der Welt erblickte. Die Songs waren komplexer, die Texte tiefgründiger, das Konzept schlüssiger als bei allen anderen Veröffentlichungen der Band. Sobald man das Anwerfen einer Maschine am Beginn von The Grudge hört entfaltet sich schon diese bestimmte Atmosphäre, welche die Songs umgeben. Eben perfekt. Nicht ganz, wie man beim Nachfolger gesehen hat: dieser ist zwar nicht so spektakulär anders (man darf gerne auch vom Selbstzitat sprechen), dafür Glänz er mit einem herrlich differenzierten Gitarrenklang, der die Kälte der Bottrillschen Produktion auf Lateralus als Makel darstehen lässt.

04. Interpol - Turn On The Bright Lights

Wieder New York, wieder Baustelle Retrorock. Diesmal Jedoch weniger The Beatles und Rolling Stones, als viel mehr Joy Division und Bauhaus. Unter einer meterdicken Schicht aus Reverbgitarreneffekten erheben sich Stücke zum Traumwandeln in den dunklen Gassen von New York. Viele sehen die anderen Alben als hässliche kleine Brüder des Debuts - was jedoch deren Perfektion verkennt (was der Band im Falle Our Love To Admire auch passiert). Diese Platte brachte jedoch den Stein ins Rollen und steht deswegen ganz oben auf dem Stapel der besten Platte der Dekade.

03. Tocotronic - Kapitulation

Es ist tatsächlich passiert. Ein deutschsprachiges Album rauscht an der internationalen Konkurrenz vorbei. Tocotronic haben mit Kapitulation ihr Meisterwerk abgeliefert. Die Texte sind herrlich verschwurbelt, die Gitarren jaulen und mit Sag Alles Ab gibt es gar einen 2 Minuten-Rocker vom Feinsten. Wer noch nie etwas mit intelligenter deutschsprachiger Musik anfangen konnte, wird hier wie immer "Studentenmüsli" rufen - alle anderen sind herzlich eingeladen den eigenen Ruin als Boot zu feiern, durch feuchtes Gras zu gehen und sich schließlich in Luft aufzulösen.

02. Portishead - Third

Third, ein Album, welches mit tausenden Mythen und Legenden umrankt ist - Fakt bleibt jedoch: elf Jahre nach dem letzten Studioalbum und insgesamt knapp zehn Jahre Produktionszeit vermag es dieses Album der vergangenen Dekade ihr Leitmotiv zu geben: "I'm so unsure" aus Threads. Die gesamte Atmosphäre dieser elf Stücke beschreibt eine gebrochene, zerstörte Welt: in Machine Gun fühlt man kalten Stahl auf der Haut, in Small sieht man überirdisches Geschehen, in Deep Water begegnet man vergangenen Zeiten als leierndes Gospel-Sample. Es hat nichts mehr mit der urbanen Welt aus Dummy oder dem selbstbetitelten Nachfolger zu tun, es spiegelt eine Welt voller Kriege wieder. Man mag die Platte deswegen weniger oft auflegen, wenn man es dennoch tut, wird man staunen, dass es ein solches Album überhaupt geben kann.

01. Radiohead - Kid A

Das Album, welches die gesamten letzten zehn Jahre in sich vereint. Jeden Stil, jeden Hakenschlag vorwegnehmen wird: Radiohead und ihr Kid A. Hier verschmelzen Indie Rock mit Electronic. Pop mit Modern Komposition, Rockkonzert und Installations-Kunst. Es ist der Urknall der modernen Popmusik, der Zeitpunkt Null. Es gibt eigentlich kein davor. Alles was heute erscheint und sich auf "davor" beruft, ist retro - alles was Kid A als direkte Referenz ausweisen kann, wird zum Zeitgeist. Es wird dekonstruiert und die einzelen Teile neu zusammen zu setzen. Das ist Bastard-Pop, DIY, Remixkultur. Wer wissen will, was die Dekade der Nullerjahre ausmacht, hört das bitte auf Kid A nach.

I WAS THE BEST

fuck all other lists

Fronted by Darren White, ex-vocalist with Liverpool doom metal pioneers Anathema, Serotonal are one of the few bands playing heavy music on Merseyside. I spoke to four of them on the eve of the release of their debut full-length album, 'Monumental: Songs Of Misery And Hope'. First off, I asked them to introduce themselves...



Matt: OK, we're on.

Andy Heath: Andy Heath, bass.

Darren White: I'm Darren White, vocals.

Jon Francis-White: I'm Jon Francis-White, guitars.

Gary Hill: Gary Hill, guitars.

Matt: OK, thanks for that guys...

Darren: (faux Yorkshire accent) And Wayne in't 'ere. Wayne plays drums, an' he's int Yorkshire.

Matt: Oh, Wayne? Oh right...he's from Yorkshire, is he?

Darren: Yeah.

Andy: Mmm.

Matt: OK...well, in a way it's kind of a good thing that he's not here...no disrespect to him of course, but, well...there's questions concerning Liverpool coming up, in particular, so... Anyway, first of all I'd better just ask about the new album. It's your first proper full-length album...you've had demos and EPs out and that before, but this is the first full-length thing you've done. So can any of you go into any kind of detail about what you reckon about the album, how it sounds, how it kinda sums up where you are musically. Any comments on that?

Darren: Yeah, I mean I could sort of say about the lyrics anyway, or what the overall sort of feel of the title and things like that and where it's all linked in. It's called 'Monumental: Songs Of Misery And Hope'...it's like a double title because 'Monumental' on its own maybe was sort of just too simplistic, and 'Songs Of Misery And Hope' just kind of explains it really, y'know, to people, just makes it more to the point that it is songs of misery and hope really throughout the album...there's dark sounding things, there's really seriously sort of disturbing parts to what's it's about, yet there's always an element of hope throughout, and that's always been the case with what I've written anyway, so it's just a continuation for me. Musically, it's...

Jon: Dynamic...

Darren: Heaviness...

Jon: ...dynamic soundscape of power and grace.

(laughter)

Matt: Mmm. So you got like a range of emotions and sounds going on, it sounds like...

Darren: Yeah.

Jon: Yeah.

Darren: Yeah.

Matt: Is that like a reflection of your personalities, d'you reckon, or your lives?

Jon: Potentially, yeah.

Darren: Yeah...

Jon:...I'd say...

Darren: ...yeah. I mean, I've always felt comfortable playing more melancholic music, you know, or, sort of sides of what's going on inside me head and that you know, or soul or whatever you know, to try and get those negative energies out...the best way is to do it through music I think, rather than going out on the streets and having a fight with someone. Get all your negative energies out like that, you know?

Jon: Do you think the way we like to...you know, I suppose like, you know, looking from the outside type of thing, it's like the music, it moves, and so, the point is like, you know, it doesn't matter how slow or melancholic a melody can be, if it's got, like a pulse in it, you know, I suppose it, you know, if it keeps on moving, you can kind of like, you know, travel with the music a little bit more as well, so...I suppose in terms of atmosphere, it's just, it's always moving. That's the way I see the songs, you know, they breathe, type of thing.

Matt: Yeah...is that something you work hard on when you're working on the songs, to kinda reflect the lyrics in the music, or does it just come more naturally and you just throw it all together and it ends up sounding good, or what?

Jon: I think the lyrics come last, and Daz is probably best explaining that, but my interpretation of the reason why the lyrics come last is like Daz has like, you know, a constructive involvement in, I suppose, like, you know, orchestrating the songs - well, the riffs, ideas, or whatnot - into actual songs. So, I think it works to his advantage when he's writing lyrics, because he's been involved in the movement of the music, and then he can kinda stand and look at it from an objective point of view, with a clearer mind to writing his lyrics. I don't know...would that be an accurate description?

Darren: Yeah, I mean I'll try and write some stuff while we're writing the riffs, or jamming on the riffs, I'll try and sort of, like, get a feel for how I might want to sing on a part but, I feel better once the song is done, and I think it's like, good enough, if you like, y'know, it has to be really right and good, and I have to try and get it as well, y'know. Sometimes with a song, I'll get it immediately. Other times it'll take a while until I get it, and once I'm in it, and I get the vibe of the music, then I can write the lyrics that will try and sort of suit the atmosphere of the song, suit every little different part of the song, and I'm very analytical when it comes to doing that. Even when we recorded it, as Gaz will, no doubt sort of back up, because when we recorded the vocals, the most of them were recorded not in the studio that we'd done the album in but in my 'Rooms Of Doom', (laughter)...which is - as I said before to you - those rooms at the top of me house unrenovated which are away from the street enough because they're high up, but they're totally unrenovated and miserable, so they're the Rooms Of Doom, but we set up a little sort of recording studio in there and Gary done all the recording, and as I say, as Gaz will back up, the amount of times that I'll say "I'll just do another one of them" (laughter)...and it's like time's getting on you know, and like Gaz's got a little bit of a drive to get back home and that like, and I (laughs)...you know...but we got there in the end, you know...we worked really, really hard on doing that.

Jon: I think to say that you've got an analytic ear is an understatement, to be honest... (laughs)

Darren: It's a good thing to have, you know...

Jon: Yeah, yeah, quality control...

Darren: If you're gonna put art out into the public domain, it has to be worthy, you know.

Matt: Yeah...well you take it pretty seriously then.

Darren: Definitely, yeah, yeah...really, I'd feel really disappointed if I put something out, and I felt that there might be a possibility that some people'd say "Oh, you know, he's past it now, you know" (laughter)..."what he done before was great but like look at how sad he is" or "look what he's doing now", you know, that would be the nightmare that people would wonder that, you know. It's one thing if they think it's different than what I've done before and they think, OK, that's a different thing, but if it's just simply not as good as what I've done before then I'd feel really...that I'd failed. Well I wanna obviously improve meself, so everything that we write...I might be a bit over-critical to these guys, because there may be more, sort of, just feeling the happiness of sort of writing and getting something out and then there's me sorta saying, "Oh yeah, but you know..." trying to sort of tighten every little screw and maybe sometimes it's not necessary, you know...

Jon: Putting the breaks on...(laughter)...yeah. It's worth it in the end though...

Darren: But we get there in the end, you know.

Matt: Yeah, sure...so, would you guys say you're perfectionists, or not?

Jon: Yeah. I'd say very fussy, and...yeah. Very fussy.

Matt: And is that a good thing?

Jon: Absolutely, yeah, yeah.

Andy: Yeah, definitely. Frustrating at times, but...

Jon: But it ensures quality control, doesn't it? I mean, as Daz says, elaborating on what he said there, throwing material out just for the sake of it is...it kinda defeats the object of it in the first place if you know what I mean. And I think that's one of the fundamental elements about Serotonal, really, the fact that, you know, we don't have a format and stick to it, do you know what I mean? It's like we all appreciate different genres of music, but, you know, we all agree on one thing, we love heavy music, so there's different elements...sometimes melodic elements, y'know, sometimes really, like, up to date kind of like, y'know, heavy riffs there and it's...as I say a dynamic blend of different elements coming together to form one sound, which I, personally, from someone who's fussy when it comes to listening to music, personally, I find that interesting, the fact that like, you know, we're honest with every song, if you know what I mean. We're not scared of trying something new, we'll just do...as long as it does the song justice, we wouldn't step too far off the rails, we'll keep it within the reason, but, we don't mind like, you know, straying off now and then.

Matt: Yeah, fair enough. OK, I should ask a question that I would ask any band really. It's a bit of a boring question, but it's kind of essential. How would you actually categorise yourselves, musically?

Jon: That's a hard one...

Darren: Really heavy...a really heavy rock band! (laughter)

Matt: Heavy rock?

Darren: Yeah.

Jon: It's hard to say like, you know, when people say to me, like, you know "Just tell us what type of stuff yous do". The only way I can kinda describe it - and it's not even accurate - it's like, you know if you listen to stuff like Massive Attack or whatever, it's got that melancholic pulse, if you like. I'd like to think that some of our more moody stuff has that kind of element. You know, obviously the fuzzy, heavy guitars...y'know, Black Sabbath, I suppose, and, y'know, I suppose the...I dunno, it's hard to explain, but it's like...it's weird, isn't it? How would you categorise our music?

Gary: People categorise it as doom...

Jon: But it's not...

Gary: ...just 'cause Darren was in, you know, doom bands and...but it's...that's just the easiest thing to put it into, but it's not...I wouldn't say it was metal in its...

Jon: Yeah, absolutely...

Gary: ...in a pure form of, like 'balls to the wall' type shit...

Darren: It's got a spirit of all of that, hasn't it? There's a spirit that runs through it that, it's like that...

Gary: Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's just rock. Heavy rock.

Jon: Yeah, there's something in it for everyone, you know what I mean? That's the way, if you look at the songs across the board, like you know, there's...I feel we've got a way with doing a...you know, a perfect pop song, like 'Wasteland' for example. You know, we've got a way...we've pulled that off like, you know, it wasn't intentional, it wasn't deliberate. There's different elements all the way through it like, and, from like, really gut-wrenching doom outbreaks, to really catchy 4/4 pop numbers...there's everything there like, you know. It's full colour.

Darren: As long as it's got melody...

Jon: Feel.

Darren: ...and feel and emotion, and then, when it's heavy, it's really heavy...but running through it also is...in my head, in my goal for us is that, like, there's a spirit of sort of...trueness...

Jon: Yeah, honesty...yeah.

Darren: ...which is how...I don't know how you can define trueness, but it's like, trying to use valve amps and get an organic sound, trying to sort of like go with the natural sounds, and recording live, if we can, and when we can, and, you know...

Gary: Having a wide boundary and that like...

Darren: Yeah, it's like, without categorising ourselves, but like, at the end of the day, we like to be very heavy, you know, I mean Gary's using...well, they're both using Gibson guitars, and a range of Gibson guitars which are...obviously to people who know, they're gonna make heavy sounds. You know, we're always looking at valve amps, they're always getting obsessed with valve amps and getting louder and heavier. Wayne...we're made up with Wayne's drumkit because his bass drum is massive...(laughter)...and has a real...(imitates heavy bass drum sound)...boom to it, so in rehearsal it just sounds really nice...

Jon: You can feel the air coming out of his bass drum, can't you? When you're standing there...

Darren: Yeah...

Jon: It's great!

Darren: So there's just, like, that sort of pulse running through things and that, you know. I mean I always sort of say, you know, Celtic Frost are a big inspiration for me, and Kyuss, and I can't really think of any others that sort of like, you know, 'cause there's just so much other stuff that I like as well that come into what we do.

Jon: That is the thing isn't it like, you know? I mean we all have our different kinds of music that we like to listen to in personal time and that, but as I say like, we all come from like a predominant, heavy background, so I mean everything we've experienced since like, being nineteen or whatever up until now, I think all them elements, all that learning if you like, comes through in the music that we do. I hope.

Darren: One of the reasons why it's been so easy for us as well, it's like, I'm the oldest in the band, and then you've got Andy who's the youngest, and in between you've got the other guys., and so all the way through, you've got different sort of...different evolution with us as people, and a different, sort of...even though we all like heavy music and we do like metal as well as all the other forms of music we like, there's still those eras that are different, you know like, my era is different to Andy's and that you know and I want him to like some of the stuff that I like and I want him to sort of go "Listen to your heritage" and that you know? (laughter) And at the same time he says to me...

Jon: Get back to the classroom...

Darren: ...you know, "Listen to what's up to date" and that, you know? But then...so he's finding out recently some of the up to date bands he likes, they're now defunct, and there's a new wave coming on through...

Andy: Yeah.

Darren: ...so you know, the younger kids out there...

Jon: See, the funny thing is that there's a lot of contradiction going on, if you like, because a lot of, like, new music if you like, a lot of it does end up sounding like, y'know, you can pigeonhole it, you know what I mean? You can totally pigeonhole a lot of like generic kind of metal bands, if you like, and, I think like, fortunately for us, I believe, because we're not kind of basing our writing material or ideas on new bands, new music or whatever, I think that kind of helps us generate original material...hopefully! (laughs)

Darren: Well there are some new, good new bands out at the moment that I'm discovering...you probably know Pelican?

Matt: Pelican, yeah.

Jon: Don't be plugging other bands Daz!

(laughter)

Darren: Nah, it's alright! Pelican, do you know them?

Matt: Yeah, I know Pelican, yeah.

Darren: Yeah, yeah, been getting into them lately...

Jon: Apparently I need to listen to them.

Matt: You do!

Darren: ...Gaz has got onto Baroness recently, haven't you Gaz?

Gaz: Yeah, yeah...

Darren: And Gaz has always liked Mastodon and that and he's kinda like, turned me onto them a little bit. So you know, we're all learning about, like, new stuff as well from each other as well.

Gaz: Yeah.

Matt: Mmm. So, I mean do you...when you're writing new songs, do you kind of have any pre-determined idea about how you want it to sound, or is it just like...

Jon: Always.

Matt: Always.

Jon: Always, yeah, I mean...it's like, same with Gaz, I mean the type of backgrounds me and Gaz come from, I mean I've been working with Gaz since...God, how old were we when we started writing together? Sixteen, seventeen, something like that...

Gary: Yeah, you were about seventeen, I was eighteen...

Jon: Eighteen, yeah...

Gary: ...nineteen...

Jon: But the way we...I mean at the time we were both in a black metal band together and stuff, and he retired from that black metal band and became the band's sound guy like, didn't ya?

Gary: Retired!

(laughter)

Jon: But ever since then, me and Gaz kinda like started our relationship around about then, and like we had little side projects, little death metal experiments, you know and the way he'd work would be similar to me. He'd go home with his drum machine and record the bass himself, record the drums himself, get the guitars on there, and I'd do the same so we...from me and Gaz's point of view, coming up with the riffs or whatever, we always have an idea of what the drums should be doing, we always have an idea of what the bass should be doing, but I will put my hand on the table and admit, I cannot write a song for toffee. I can write music, but I can't write songs, like, you know and I think that's...you know, it's kind of like a self-helping band like, you know, me and Gaz'll come up with some ideas, we'll play them to each other, you know, we'll see each other's riffs, adapt on each other's riffs, play it 'til we're comfortable, then the drums and bass'll then come in, glue all the bits together and then, you know, Daz'll put his vocals on top after it's been orchestrated, and then, at the end of that process we've got a song, so that's kind of how the writing process works. But yeah, the answer to the question is I always have a pre-determined idea of what the drums and bass should be doing, prior to actually putting the riff out there.

Matt: OK. Well I wanna talk about...Liverpool, I guess...and...

Jon: (laughs) Miserypool!

Matt: Miserypool...

(laughter)

Nice, nice...so am I right in thinking you all grew up in Anfield, or somewhere near?

Jon: Anfield.

Gary: Yeah...

Andy: Kirkdale.

Gary: And Walton.

Darren: And I'm Anfield, yeah.

Jon: Orrell Park, tell the truth!

(laughter)

Matt: OK, so you know...not exactly paradise...

Jon: No.

Gary: No.

Matt: ...if I'm being honest...

Gary: No.

Matt: I mean how d'ya think your upbringing, and where you've been living all your lives, how d'ya think that's actually influenced your music and what you do?

Jon: Well I come from a very scally family like, you know what I mean? Me mum's side of the family are from Kirkby, and me dad's side of the family are from Scotland Road, and, I don't know how, I think Daniel Osbourne in second year seniors changed everything for me by introducing me to Iron Maiden. If it hadn't've been for him I'd probably still be playing footie outside the laundrette...

(laughter)

...so I consider meself to be very fortunate and lucky that I was introduced to music at an early stage.

Darren: I came to Liverpool when I was maybe five or something like that, me family moved to Liverpool, 'cause me dad was originally from Liverpool and he kinda moved back when he left the Air Force, and so up until that point I'd, like, lived in different places, when me dad was in the Air Force, so as a kid I was moving about, and living in different places until coming to Liverpool, and so, even though I feel, like, a bond to Liverpool in that sense 'cause then I was there from that age 'til I was about twenty two, something like that when I left, I do feel that bond with Liverpool, but I always felt like I was not...because I wasn't born in Liverpool, I wasn't a Scouser, and so I always felt, kinda like, that unattached feeling and that, you know? And then I've lived for a few years in Colchester and then I went travelling and I've come back to Liverpool, because of some nostalgic feeling that I had when I came back, and then I...because I wanted to obviously concentrate on doing Serotonal, I had to sorta stay in Liverpool, and...but I still do feel that sort of...

Gary: Can't help it...

Darren: ...one foot is in Liverpool, and appreciates it, but because I've been different places I know that Liverpool has got its like, really annoying bad sides, but I've decided to move back to it, you know, and decided to move back to North Liverpool of all places, to Anfield because, within it, I can see that there's a character and there's a...y'know, I love old houses and there's a...they're all Victorian houses, back to back terraces everywhere, and I see the beauty in all of them through all the litter, the dogshit and the...

Jon: Glass...

Darren: ...and the glass...

(laughter)

...and, you know, some of the boarded up houses, which are beautiful houses...I can see that beauty amidst all the decay, and that was my big influence growing up and that, and while I was growing up seeing the area around me declining and going into decay year on year, you know. When I was a kid, all the shops were open. By the time I left Liverpool, they were all boarded up, windows smashed, if they were still there, you know. Businesses closed down...

Gary: The system had collapsed...

Darren: ...that was what was going on around me as I grew up, and so, you know, that must've had an influence...

Jon: I mean we live, I suppose...it's like the secrets behind Liverpool because Liverpool, when it gets media attention if you like, it's, you know, it gets a lot of positive media attention and it does deserve it because the centre of, the Liverpool city centre...

Darren: I'd say most of the media attention on Liverpool was negative...

Jon: Well no, what I mean is, you know, they have like whole...

Darren: There's a lot of hype that comes from...

Jon: Yeah, there's a lot of hype, but there's also...I mean, I suppose we live in the shadows of that thing if you know what I mean...but having said that, you know I have witnessed a change in Anfield, like Anfield has kind of, like, you can tell it's invested in, but people's minds haven't been changed yet...

Darren: Yeah...

Jon: ...the bad habits still exist like, unfortunately...

Darren: There are people trying to make a change and that...for the better. We'll see...

Gary: Thing is like, the 1% ruins it for everyone else, d'ya know what I mean? It's...

Darren: Yeah...it's always like that...

Gary: ...could be like fifty people and if one person's a bad egg then it just ruins it.

Jon: Yeah, that's it...

Darren: Like if you go to a nightclub, and everyone's in a jovial mood and you've had a good night...

Gary: ...it just takes one knobhead...

Darren: ...but then there's a big scrap...

Gary: Yeah, yeah...

Darren: ...a big fight breaks out...you then think...

Gary: The whole night's ruined, yeah.

Darren: ...What a moody night that was, you know?

Gary: I think that's the same everywhere though, in England...

Darren: Yeah, that is...

Jon: But to be honest with you, like if you look at 'Songs Of Misery And Hope', just to kinda point out what you were on about in terms of the meaning behind the songs...

Darren: It fits in, doesn't it? It sits in.

Jon: ...it's the same with Liverpool...it fits the same. It's like we cling onto the idea of a better way, you know what I mean, even though that means us being scarred by the things that we don't particularly agree with, in society, like...so that's 'Songs Of Misery And Hope' again isn't it like, you know?

Darren: Mmm...but when I come to the city centre in Liverpool, y'know, I love it, I like the...

Jon: Vibrance.

Darren: ...the vibrance of it, yeah, the different sort of interesting sort of shops and different people and that, you know, you get like...you know, not everyone looks the same and that you know, and it's a change from being round Anfield and that, where you get a lot of the scallies and that, you know?

Jon: Funnily enough, there's a saying...not like an established saying but, in Anfield you don't really see students, and we're now starting to see a couple of little students here and there which indicates that potentially, the area's gonna improve! (laughs)...So it's like that kinda, you know, I mean we can't complain, I mean...

Gary: John Moore's gets hold of it and that... (laughs)

Jon: That's it like, yeah, yeah, yeah, but I mean we can't complain, it's like you know, it's, I mean, again, as with Daz, like I grew up in Anfield like, you know, I've got so many memories of being a boy in Anfield, and Stanley Park was my paradise groing up, and I live right by it. So our little area where we live in Anfield, it's...you can't help but feel attached to it, like you know...it's a lovely, atmospheric area, you know...

Darren: The cemetry...

Jon: Yeah!

Darren: ...we always used to go to the cemetry. I used to go to it meself years ago when I was writing lyrics with Anathema and that, and we'd go over there and do band photoshoots...

(laughter)

Darren: ...and then...

Jon: The usual setup...

Gary: Pull faces... (laughs)

Darren: ...and you know, it's true, I literally used to go there, and sit there for a while and that, on me own sometimes. We'd go there together and hang out, and have a few beers and that like, or a smoke and that, but then I'd go there on me own sometimes like, when I was writing lyrics, just to kinda get in the mood and that. And the thing is like, funnily enough, you know, just a handfull of years later, Jon used to walk through there, but with a different vibe in it, you know, he used to have like his...

Jon: (laughs)

Darren: ...long black leather coat and his you know, his black metal music blaring into his headphones...

Jon: Listening to Nåstrond, yeah, with dead long hair, walking through the cemetry on me own...I wouldn't do that now!

(laughter)

Darren: Same cemetry, but just different music...

Jon: Yeah.

Matt: Oh well...so, has this definitely had a noticeable effect on your music, kinda thing, or...

Andy: Yeah...

Matt: ...would you be able to define that effect, or influence?

Jon: I think as an individual, it's kind of helped shape me into being the individual I am, you know, me morals and beliefs and me attitude in general. I think that has, you know, it has contributed towards that, but not necessarily the effect on the music I wouldn't say...

Darren: Well I would say that the 'misery and hope' aspect and that would be, like we just sorta said before that like there is something in there, you know? That we've lived with misery and hope, and we're writing about misery and hope...

Jon: Well we live with misery and hope every day.

Darren: But we haven't consciously gone out like, it's like 'Oh, let's write a concept album about misery and hope'. That's just the way I exist. It's like that in my head and that kinda thing.

Matt: So that's the way you've always done lyrics then...

Darren: Yeah...more or less, yeah...

Matt: So that whole album title, does that kind of, like, reflect your overall approach to music, so it's just...

Darren: Yeah, yeah...

Matt: ...it's not, I mean, it will effect, it'll reflect your future output as well, like...

Darren: I would think so, I don't know how I can shake it off, you know...it'll be different, 'cause I might maybe right about different things and get inspired by different things for different songs, but ultimately that'll just run through it all like a sort of a continual thing and that with little, sort of, alternate avenues of interest but it'll be that that will be the essential theme running through everything. I can't help it, and...which I think actually is what life is like really, you know? We live our lives like that don't we, you know? Sort of battling in our own minds for happiness, while sometimes struggling with unhappiness...negativity and fear, anxiety and all those things that can bog us down, when, ultimately, at the end of the day, if we try and change our way of thinking, consciously change our way of thinking, and to try and be positive, and try and be open and experience things to the fullest, then good opportunities, I think then actually come to you. So it's like...

Jon: Karma...

Darren: ...it's battling between trying to be positive and then getting battered down by negative things and being able to sorta put yourself in perspective and that...

Matt: Yeah...well it sounds like you've got quite a good approach to your music and your lyrics and it seems to reflect life in general and the struggles that we have to go through...the mental struggles, as much as anything else...

Darren: That's it, yeah. I think, you know, and we all go introspective. All of us have that, you know, even when you see someone who looks...who always appears to be ultra confident, running round, always the life and soul of the party, you know, you don't know what goes on in their heads when they go home at night...

Jon: They're the people who have most problems...

(laughter)

Matt: Yeah, well you have to wonder, don't you?

Jon: Yeah.

Matt: Is it just like a front? Or are they hiding something?

Jon: That's it, yeah.

Darren: Yeah, yeah.

Matt: Well you guys all seem quite down to earth...I mean is that the way you see yourselves, or...?

Darren: Well we try to be anyway.

Andy: Yeah...

Jon: Just normal lads at the end of the day just doing music, you know, that's it.

Darren: Mmm.

Andy: Something we love...

Jon: Yeah...

Darren: Yeah...

Matt: We'll see how long that lasts when this album sells millions of copies!

(laughter)

Darren: If it sells millions of copies, I'll...I'll try and eat that glass.

(laughter)

I'll come back here one day and I'll try and eat that glass...

Gary: I'll hold you to that, Daz, you know!

(laughter)

Darren: If we sell millions...I'll go for it.

Matt: Yeah, oh well...

Darren: I don't reckon I'll be eating that glass, however!

(laughter)

Matt: Well not with that attitude, you won't...

(laughter)

Matt: Yeah...well hopefully you will. I hope it sells millions of copies.

Darren: I'll be just happy to play Roadburn Festival in Holland and that like, with some...

Gary: Yeah...

Darren: ...some fellow decent bands who would know how to use valve amps and that and stuff...

(laughter)

Matt: Oh...OK. Well that's the main criteria, is it?

(laughter)

Darren: That's it, yeah, it is! I can't define it any other way really...though I'm not a guitarist, I do appreciate the sound of a nice valve. Gaz has got a nice one at the moment, haven't ya Gaz? Nice new one...

Gary: Yeah, yeah...

Darren: Caused him trouble at first, but he's...

Gary: Yeah, it's sorted...

Darren: ...sorted that out now...

Matt: Teething problems.

Gary: Yeah, yeah...fuse was blown and shit...

(laughter)

Matt: Well I should ask you about future touring plans, have you got any? Are you gonna be touring this album, or...?

Darren: Well we intend to...we intend to. We just have to sort of try and keep avenues open and see which tours we might get offered, or you know, agencies might come to us and that, like you know. We're sort of sending out little sort of signals at the moment, to sort of say to agents that we're open to going on tours if they wanna sort of put us on, so...a support tour would obviously be helpful, wouldn't it? You know, touring with perhaps a more established band.

Gary: That's more...the most preferable...what we'd like to do...

Jon: Yeah.

Darren: Yeah.

Gary: ...a good tour support with someone...

Darren: I mean, Anathema have already offered to take us out on tour, it's just if our record label can come up with the goods, if you like, you know, and get us to sorta be able to actually make that happen, you know.

Matt: Right...oh so it's all down to them, really?

Darren: Really, when it boils down to it, the offer is there, it's just if we can logistically do it. They've given us the opportunity...

Gary: And we have been told, you know, when we signed, that like, there will be tour supports there, so we just have to wait and see.

Darren: Mmm.

Jon: See, the thing is, with the record company, the record company kinda does things behind an iron curtain if you like, and, you know, at the end of the period, they'll let us know what they've done type of thing, so a lot of the time, you know, even though we know that the label is doing things and that like, we...I mean, the only thing we can do at the moment anyway is just like, you know, we've been writing a lot of new material and obviously the anticipation of getting the album out, so, I think our intentions at the moment is to let the album come out, see what feedback is generated from the album...we've already put a couple of feelers out for agents and things like that, but I think, fundamentally, the most important thing for us to do is just carry on and keep the fire burning by writing. So that's kind of like the unintended plan, so to speak.

Matt: Right. So, I mean do you guys think of yourselves as a live band, or a studio band, or...?

Jon: Live band.

Andy: Definitely a live band.

(laughter)

Jon: Love it...we just need the right gigs really you know and...we've had this converstaion before, I mean we've played gigs in Liverpool, and, sadly the gigs in Liverpool have been like, you know, I suppose the most soul-destroying ones because it seems to be hard to bring people out to Liverpool to come and see your band like, you know. I think there is a big trend in Liverpool at the moment and, you know, I suppose we're outside of that trend, and I suppose a minority in our own city in that respect, but I mean, as a band, I think really we've done our fair share of like, you know, playing to thirty people, type of thing, and it would be nice to move up to that next step and play like bigger festivals, or...but we'll see what opportunities are generated as a result of the album release, and take it from there, type of thing.

Matt: Oh well things should start picking up anyway...

Darren: Yeah...

Matt: ...it seems, from what I've read so far in the media that the album's doing OK...critically anyway...

Jon: Yeah.

Andy: Mmm.

Matt: I dunno...I can't say from being outside the band but, it seems like you're picking up some new fans along the way...I dunno.

Darren: Yeah...

Jon: Hopefully like, yeah, I mean we have noticed a subtle...(laughs)...development of interest in the band, like, but it is subtle, I have to say like, but, I mean, you know, when you're used to, like you know, hardly anyone knowing who you are and stuff, and playing these small little gigs and no one knows who you are, it's nice to, you know, like...it kind of answers a lot of questions when we, like for example in Birmingham, you know, we seem to have gone down well in Birmingham. You know, it was quite full, from what I could see and there were...it seemed to be that there were people there interested in what we were doing anyway before we even played so you know, that's feedback in itself in a roundabout way, isn't it?

Matt: Yeah, definitely. I wanna talk a bit about metal in Liverpool. I guess you... well, it's hard to categorise you, as we've said before, but I guess you kinda come under 'metal'...

Jon: Yeah.

Matt: ...'ish, so what do you guys think about the metal scene, or hard rock scene in Liverpool?

Jon: We haven't really felt one have we?

Darren: No, not really, no!

Jon: I know there's bands out there, I mean we rehearse with a couple of heavier bands and stuff, but I mean, you don't really see heavy bands playing that much in Liverpool, do you?

Darren: I know there are some bands who've played in the Korova and that, like, that you may have seen yourself and that you know?

Jon: They weren't from Liverpool though, were they? One was from America...

Darren: No, there were some Liverpool bands...

Jon: Was there?

Darren: ...and there are Liverpool bands who are sort of...have been playing those kinda gigs and that, you know, and I've sorta checked them out...I really, honestly don't remember the band's names at the moment, but I like their vibe, but just sort of, you know, they're not like what I would really go for or get excited about, so I haven't sorta followed them up and seen them again...

Gary: It's mostly death metal stuff, isn't it? That's about it like...

Darren: Yeah...there was one band - I don't remember their name - that we played with in that gig...we played a gig, like, about a year ago with Grief and Trap Them, and they'd sorta travelled over from America but then there was a load of like sorta local bands as well, and Ramesses played, from the south coast and that, and there was a couple of local bands that I thought...

Gary: Dragged Into Sunlight?

Darren: ...'Who are they?'...

Gary: ...Was that one of them?

Darren: Was that it, yeah? There was one band, and I was impressed with them because, like, the time between the bass drum and the snare was particularly long...you know?

Jon: (laughs)

Darren: ...and it was like, you know, this is slower than winter, this is bordering on, like, Sunn O))) speed here, and, y'know, I was impressed with their diligence in being able to sort of, like, resist hitting the snare too early!

(laughter)

...you know, it was like, it was extremely slow, and I had to appreciate it...

Jon: Tantric doom! (laughs)

Darren: Yeah, it's like that in a way, yeah! It's tantric in its essence, that's right.

Jon: Yeah.

Darren: And, you know, so I appreciated them but I don't remember, maybe they were Dragged Into Sunlight, I'm not sure, but none of those bands have really, sort of followed things through if you like, or they've had the same difficulties as ourselves in Liverpool, in which, you know, it's very difficult to sort of get yourself established when you're playing such underground music...

Jon: Yeah, yeah, yeah...

Matt: Well I think...certainly extreme metal...obviously there's the mainstream stuff, you know your Machine Head or whatever, that quite a lot of the kids like these days, but the more extreme, underground stuff isn't very popular round here.

Jon: No.

Matt: Obviously, it's underground, so it's not gonna be that popular anyway, but even considering that, there's just so few people I meet that seem to be into that kinda stuff. I mean why do you think that is...what is it about Liverpool, or Merseyside in particular...?

Darren: I think it's a society thing, to be honest.

Jon: I mean it's quite a 'poser' city though isn't it really, if you think about it, you know? if you look at it, everything's gotta be 'in'. You know what I mean? You see a lot of that, like, you know what I mean? It's like a lot of bands that you see...I haven't really paid that much attention lately so I might be wrong now, me opinion might be out of date, but I mean, you know there's that, like, tight jeans and Winklepickers with, like, Telecasters and Vox amps and that, and, you knowm curly bunheads and stuff, you know, there's a lot of that like and it seems to be...

Darren: I haven't got anything...not that we've got anything against people with Telecasters and...

Jon: No, no, no, not at all, you know...

Darren: ...bunheads, curly bunheads and that...

Jon: ...but I mean it's a trend, it's a trend nonetheless, that's what I'm saying, it's a trend nonetheless...it just so happens that, like, Liverpool is of them cities, you know, a jangly, kind of like, you know, 'beat'...what's the word? You know...'beat...pop' city like, you know what I mean?

Darren: Mmm...

Jon: I don't know whether that's the right terminology to use for that, them types of bands...

Andy: I think it's quite correct...

(laughter)

Darren: But I think that's everywhere...

Jon: It is everywhere...

Darren: ...that's everywhere, you know...it's just...

Jon: ...but Liverpool, predominantly in Liverpool, it's massive in Liverpool, that tight jeans and Winklepicker thing, it is, isn't it? Long trenchcoats and that...

Darren: I don't mind, as long as people go and see live music, I don't really mind what the...

Matt: Yeah that's true, that's true.

Darren: ...what the music is, however, you know, like metal is very underground here and that like...as you said, like, the Machine Head kinda metal is fair enough, you know, you'll have plenty of people will come out the woodwork for that, but, you know, it is fairly underground for a city so large and so appreciative of music...when you get like a fairly decent doom band, you know, just see the turnout being quite low, but that's...ultimately, at the end of the day if you're a band and that, like, then you should just sort of think, alright well the people are gonna come out as long as we play the music well and they enjoy it, that's ultimately all that matters and...

Jon: In comparison...

Darren: ...it's hard to, as a band, to sort of like deal with that, you know...but you just sort of do it and try and stay true to yourselves and hopefully the people then will appreciate that trueness, and then...

Jon: It's a funny thing because our...I suppose our neighbour city, Manchester, if you like...whenever we've played live in Manchester, it's always felt good. You know, it's a...it feels as though people actually come to see ya when you go to Manchester, whereas it's the opposite end of the spectrum here, you know what I mean?

Darren: Mmm.

Matt: So you get a bigger turnout in the audience at Manchester?

Jon: Absolutely...I think so, yeah.

Darren: Mmm...yes.

Jon: There's people there who come to see your band, and they express the fact that they're enjoying your music, which helps a band, you know, that's the element...if you haven't got that, if you've got thirty people in front of you and they're not that bothered, you know, your performance is gonna be limited, to an extent, whereas if you're playing to an audience that are actually there and enjoying it and want more of it, it's gonna encourage the band to, kind of, perform even better. And I think that's the main element, you know, asking the question earlier on, do we...'are we a live band?' We are a live band but, you know, depending on who we're playing to, has an impact and effect on how we are as a live band, you know what I mean?

Matt: Mmm. Er...right...can't really think of anything else to ask...

Jon: (laughs) We've covered it all...

Matt: Well, I dunno if we have, but...

Darren: Oh I could witter on for ages you know, I'm sure Jon...

(laughter)

...Jon could witter on for ages as well!

Jon: I'm in a chatty mood now like, yeah, yeah...it's 'cause I've had a pint!

(laughter)

Darren: On top of something else...yeah.

Jon: I'm everyone's mate now like, you know...

(laughter)

Matt: Oh well, well if anyone's got anything else they wanna say about anything I've asked, or anything, then feel free.

Jon: Yourself?

Gary: No...

Darren: No...can't really think now.

Jon: Rock hard, rock heavy, rock animal!

Andy: It's a 'joint' effort!

(laughter)

Darren: Well it was, it was today, yeah!

Jon: The 'joint' venture!

All: Yeah, yeah...

Matt: OK, is that it then?

Gary: Yeah.

Matt: Anything else?

Jon: Yeah...thanks! Nice one. Cheers.

Matt: No problem. Good to speak to you guys.

Andy: Thank you.

Darren: And to you, yeah.

Matt: And er...yeah, I'll stop.

Darren: We'll do readers' questions next time!



For more information on Serotonal, visit http://www.serotonal.co.uk/ and http://www.myspace.com/serotonal

From a post entitled "Metal’s Most Defining Moments"

Tom G Warrior hears Venom and doesn’t know what speed to play it on: starts Celtic Frost, invents doom.

Doom like a motherfucker.

All I can come to think of is that the whole post is just a trolling. An attempted trolling, even. I'm surprised people even bother reading Metalhammer, and believe that which it says.

Just saw someone doing this and I just steal this idea.
Yes I know, I'm a focking thief!

Seen live:

Legion of the Damned(3x + 1 upcoming + once I was queing when they played)
Vader(2x)
Slayer(1x +1 upcoming)
Marduk(2x)
Finntroll(2x)
Dimmu Borgir(1x)
Amon Amarth(5x)
Satyricon(1x + 1 upcoming)
Kataklysm(2x + 1 upcoming)
Vreid(1x :( )
Korpiklaani(3x)
Ensiferum(2x)
Morbid Angel(1x)
Moonspell(1x)
Mayhem(1x)
Benighted(1x)
Sonata Arctica(power metal :D) (2x)
Heidevolk(2x)
Tyr(fucked up tags) (2x)
Týr(fucked up tags) (2x)
Moonsorrow(1x)

(21/50) that is... Not too bad right?


Now what bands did I not see (yet)?
Here is the list and the reason why.

Immortal - Haven't been near me in ages.
Occult - Renamed to Legion of the Damned, so I've seen the bandmembers play, just not the band
Belphegor - This is gonna change in January!
Gorgoroth - Totally missed it when they were here the last time. I have seen Gaahl and Kvitrafn with Wardrunathough
Behemoth - Never really had the urge to see them
Cradle of Filth - I don't even know why this is in my top 50, I don't listen to them, they just drop by allot when playing a random playlist
Windir - Obviously not possible, seen Vreid though
Bathory - Obviously not possible
Heaven Shall Burn - Not that big of a metalcore fan, but 1 or 2 ablums are just awesome
Watain - I hope this will change soon!
Taake - Desperatly want to see them.
Stratovarius - Powermetal!
Hackneyed - Hd the change at summerbreeze, but a man has to eat right? Gonna see them in december though
Children of Bodom - Same story as Cradle of Filth
I - They only had 1 gig to date, and I didn't know them back then let alone travelled that far to see them.
Borknagar - Who? How did this end up un my top 50?
Iron Maiden - No thanks
Vesania - I'll probably go when they play here (which I doubt)
One Man Army and the Undead Quartet - Actually only know 1 album and bassed on that I would like to see them.
The Prodigy - Not really a band eh? The only electronic music in my list.
Apocalyptica - Not my style
Iced Earth - No thanks
Celtic Frost - Just read they broke up (again) last year
1349 - Would see them if they ever came here!
Elvenking - Powermetal :D Had the chance to see them at Summerbreeze. But I valued my sleep more
Falconer - 1 album is sublime, the rest is just standard Powermetal. So... NO
Dark Funeral - Gonna change this summer(breeze)
Carpathian Forest - Would go
Ragnarok - Would go

My newest article for MetalSucks.net. I write about the controversial genre post-black metal. I contend that the style exists and originates with the Celtic Frost album Into the Pandemonium.

Read and comment here:
http://www.metalsucks.net/2009/11/19/tiberian-vocalizations-arthur-von-nagel-on-post-black-metal-and-being-a-shameless-metal-nerd/

Bands cited in the article:
Mayhem
Bathory
Burzum
Darkthrone
Celtic Frost
Emperor
Venom
Enslaved
Ulver
Immortal
Wall of Voodoo
Sigh
Therion
Cradle of Filth
In the Woods...
Green Carnation
Pink Floyd
Fleurety
Opeth
Cormorant
Winds
Arcturus
Ved Buens Ende
Slint
Aura Noir
Virus
Dødheimsgard
...and Oceans
Spinal Tap
Solefald
Borknagar
Age of Silence
Asmegin
Carpathian Forest
Sturmgeist
Blut aus Nord