The Fuggy Grooves [originally titled Fuggy & Groovy] sessions unleashed

Third and final mix, focusing on the Krautrock scene, mixed up with sci-fi movie extracts and other horror classics. My personal favorite.

The tracks :

• JANE "Moving" (from their "Here We Are" album)
• BIRTH CONTROL "Hoodoo Man" (from their "Hoodoo Man" album)
• BRAINTICKET "Brainticket (part 2)" (from their "Cottonwoodhill" album)
• NEU! "Negativland" (from their s/t album)
• AMON DÜÜL II "Dehypnotized Toothpaste"+"A Short Stop At The Transylvanian Brain Surgery" (from their "Tanz Der Lemminge" album)
• GURU GURU "Ooga Booga" (from their "Känguru" album)

GET IT HERE!

This is all about British vintage Rock!

I'm not completely satisfied with this one, something's missing, but I still don't know exactly what.

Tracklist :

• NUTZ "Poor Man" (from their s/t album)
• BUDGIE "Nude Disintegrating PArachutist Woman" (from their s/t album)
• PALADIN "Fill Up Your Heart" (from their s/t album)
• URIAH HEEP "Gypsy" (from their "Very 'Eavy... Very 'Umble" album)
• HORSE "The Sacrifice" (from their s/t album)
• INCREDIBLE HOG "Warning" (from their "Volume 1" album)
• MAY BLITZ "8 Mad Grim Nits (from their "2nd Of May" album)
• DIRTY TRICKS "The High Life" (from their s/t album)
  

GET IT HERE!

This is the first of those 3 podcasts.

I used American bands only and some 70's movie extracts. As I did for the STONEFREAK series, I used effects and sometimes reshaped the songs to make sure this podcast is fully enjoyable (depending on the listener). This is clearly dedicated to NYC, I definitely love the city.

This is vinyl only as you may guess and the tracklist goes like this

• ARMAGEDDON "Buzzard" (from their s/t album)
• GRANICUS "You're In America" (from their s/t album)
• YESTERDAY'S CHILDREN "She's Easy" (from their s/t album)
• SIR LORD BALTIMORE "Master Headache" (from their "Kingdom Come" album)
• BLUE CHEER "Magnolia Caboose Babyfinger" (from their "Outsideinside" album)
• TINHOUSE "Personal Gain" (from their s/t album)
• BANG "Come With Me"(from their s/t album)
• JAMUL "All You Have Left Is Me" (from their s/t album)
  

GET IT HERE!

Btw, if you like what you hear, please leave comments, that'd be well appreciated!

ENJOY!

Switzerland's sickest act is back from the grave

The cult Swiss combo's return in 2006 kicked major ass, because the band has been buried deep in 1992 (remember this worthless record called "Vanity/Nemesis"?) and there was no sign of any comeback.

With "Monotheist", the band reinvents itself, being more frightening and desperate as it used to be in its glory days.
This is modern Metal, with a dedicated hateful and misanthropic attitude.

Monolithic riffage, haunting cries, and booming rhythm section.
The album goes through different parts, some are quiet and kinda mellow, but they're all dark as hell and massively oppressive.

Definitely not an album that is easy to listen to or easy to fully appreciate. It would take you time to get into the intricate and compulsive music of the new improved CELTIC FROST.
The gatefold cover (different visual from the CD version) and inner sleeves are beautifully designed and fucking sick.
The very first press on black vinyl is limited (heavy! - 1,000 copies?) and is quite hard to come across.

Try the opener Progeny.

ENJOY!

CELTIC FROST "Monotheist" - 2006 - Switzerland - Century Media 77500-1

Athens, OH Trashers

No doubt you will rush to this one once you'll have played Vengeance Will Be Mine and Limb From Limb on the player.

First off, the awesome John Baizley (of BARONESS fame) cover alone should make you wanna have it.
Then the relentless dual-guitar attack!
This is vintage Heavy Metal and NWOBHM as if there were no tomorrow, all hell breaks loose : intensity, enthousiasm and bad-ass riffage all along.

Spits of Black Metal on this revived Bay Area Trash cadaver, high-pitched Vs. haunted growls, lightspeed bass-drum abomination : one of 2007's greatest releases!

The 'ice blue' vinyl is limited to 400 copies and now sold out, a regular black version can be ordered from the HyperRealist records website.

EJNJOY!

SKELETONWITCH "Beyond The Permafrost" - 2007 - USA - Hyperrealist HR017

Easter at a tremendous speed

What a a great way to celebrate Easter!
The mighty and unstoppable SLAYER, reigning over the Metal scene for more than 2 decades.

I'm not sure I have to write anything about the band as you surely all know about the beast and have surely seen SLAYER live at least a couple of times.

I love all of their albums, but "South Of Heaven" (along with "Reign In Blood" and "Seasons In The Abyss") stands as an absolute classic, a true must-have, an LP it's impossible not to own on vinyl.

Go play Ghosts Of War, and praise the Lord.
SLAYER rules!

ENJOY!

SLAYER "South Of Heaven" - 1988 - USA - London LONLP63 (UK press)

Folklore & Mythology for Pagan Viking Metal!

For those familiar with the Scandinavian extreme Metal scene, ENSLAVED might need no introduction.
ENSLAVED is the essence of Viking Metal, drenched in Nordic mythology and local folklore.

As you may hear, the music has evolved a lot and now has a progressive, atmospheric feel (check "Monumension").
The epic and heroic aspects of their music is still effective and strong but the whole has been slowed down, enriched and textured.

"Isa" and "Ruun" are, to me, their most successful LPs with majestics part, brutal breaks and efficient musicianship.

Please listen to Fusion Of Sense And Earth which is, in my opinion, one of the greatest cuts out of "Ruun".

ENJOY!

ENSLAVED "Ruun" - 2006 - Norway - Back On Black BOBV050LP

Egyptian nihilism

NILE is unquestionably one of those few leaders in the Death Metal genre, always pushing the boundaries and adding more 'extreme' into extreme Metal.

The middle-eastern and showed egyptian references (both musically and graphically) has always been a trademark and has brought NILE a very special cult following.

With "Annihilation Of The Wicked", NILE has unleashed its most ambitious, heaviest, and most massive yet detailed and clear sounding release to date.

For those who never heard anything about NILE, expect some crushing bass-drum, lightspeed riffs, inhuman demonic gutturals and, of course, egyptian imagery made music.

The vinyl version has an etched D side and is available on black vinyl or awesome grey marble. Check it out below, while playing the title track, Annihilation Of The Wicked (+Spawn Of Uamenti, the intro).

ENJOY!

NILE "Annihilation Of The Wicked" - 2005 - USA - Relapse RR6630-1

The Stockholm Syndrome

GRAND MAGUS started as a Doom/Stoner band and shared stages with SPIRITUAL BEGGARS (singer J.B. now sings in the band), CATHEDRAL, ORANGE GOBLIN or ROADSAW.

The "Wolf's Return" opus is more into Metal, and more exactly into the NWOBHM to be absolutely accurate. JUDAS PRIEST and IRON MAIDEN among numerous others come to mind at first listen.

Sure there's a traditional Heavy Metal basis to this album, but they still follow the Doom path they've been walking down since their beginning.

In my opinion, "Wolf's Return" is their most solid album, intricate and powerful with strong lead vocals and crushing riffage.

Is the band still active? I don't know.

ENJOY!

GRAND MAGUS "Wolf's Return" - 2005 - Sweden - Rise Above RISELP60

Open your books PAGE 99

PAGENINETYNINE from Virginia, shaped a new form of screamy, edgy, desperate and dark Hardcore, though they define their music as Punk Rock.

This is dark and ugly, mean and harmful. Urgency is tangible throughout the 5 tracks of "Document #7". At the same time, this is all very exciting and fresh.

You really need to give them a try, it's an all-new vibrant rock'n'roll circus.

It's the second press on lavender marble vinyl (a beauty!) which is limited to 550 copies. I'm sure other copies are still available, and there's a total of 4 different pressings, so you might get your own!

ENJOY!

PG.99 "Document #7" - 2002 - USA - Magic Bullet #24

Some brutality on a rainy Sunday

ANODYNE originated in Boston before moving to New York to design this filthy blend of rocking Hardcore with Sludge aspects and crushing blast beats.

ANODYNE originally included Ayal Naor who quickly left the band to found 27.
"The Outer Dark" is ANODYNE's debut now reduced to a three-piece, after a short period of line-up changes and some 45s (including a split single with KEELHAUL).

ANODYNE plays some pummeling noisy Hardcore, and I can only advise anybody to give them a listen.

Go find the whole side A of this awesome grey marbled vinyl in the player, I'm sure you'll love what you hear.

ENJOY!

ANODYNE "The Outer Dark" - 2001 - USA - Escape Artist EA14.1

An OCEAN of tumult

OCEAN (not to be confused with The OCEAN) is from PORTLAND and offers a thundering debut that clocks in 80+ minutes (including a CURE cover that is only on vinyl!).
Bad news come from this ocean of tumult and distorted guitars, drenched in resonating bass lines and monolithic wall of drums.

Out on Important Rec. in the US in 2005, this has been re-released on vinyl through the British Rocket rec, with a slightly different cover.

Musically, OCEAN plays Doom, metallic Post Rock ala PELICAN and ISIS... with balls, guts and rage, no rest for the wicked, we're all doomed and here the soundtrack of our last days on this rotten planet Earth. Lovely!
I forgot to tell you about the beautiful splatter discs and the metallic embossed cover...

The Fall is a 24+ minute cut of depressed riffage and apocalyptic laments.

ENJOY!

OCEAN "Here Where Nothing Grows" - USA - 2007 - Rocket Recordings Launch 027 (European repress)

Here comes sickness

STARKWEATHER is a defining act. Many Hardcore bands fed on this monster of brutality because of its harmful sonic aggression. STARKWEATHER takes no prisoner, it slays, rapes and kills with no mercy.

Based in Philly, PA, STARKWEATHER (taking their name from a 50's serial killer) pioneered the 'Metal Core' scene at the beginning of the 90's, releasing a bunch of convincing 45s.

The dose of violence they inject in their compositions is lethal, using a thick sound production (courtesy of P. Remillard) that boasts their massive riffage machinery, the angular rhythm section and the sick, sick, sick vocals.

I read here and there about the 'cinematic flow' and the visual aspect their music manages to create in the listener's mind, and I can only agree, even if I can hardly explain it with my own words. It's a complete experience, made of sounds and visions, a complex world and an endless extreme sonic assault. To be heard to be believed. "Croatan" is their latest release and I can only wish their new effort will come out soon.

I give you the complete side A, to make sure you don't pass this one.

ENJOY!

STARKWEATHER "Croatoan" - 2005 - USA - Hypertension Hype002

Black suits, blacks shirts and red ties

"Mono" is ICARUS LINE's debut, originally released through Crank! Records, and re-released with the help of BuddyHead.

ICARUS LINE stands at a crossing between bands such as AT THE DRIVE-IN, BLACK FLAG, 80's MATCHBOX B-LINE DISASTER, REFUSED, The BRONX and The BLOOD BROTHERS. This is the Punk roots of Hardcore with a dirty sense of Rock'n'Roll.

It's a solid LP with unexpected changes, inventive riffage, scorched-out but melodic vocals and a real attitude.
I heard somewhere the LP version was kinda hard to come across (I saw it once at a record fair and bought it!). Check the picture below (I hoped it was better quality though), it's a beautiful marbled/smokey brown slab of vinyl and some very fine tasting music. Find it!

ENJOY!

ICARUS LINE "Mono" - 2001 - USA - BuddyHead BH005