JESUS RAVES

ten things about yourself

1. i have flat feet.
2. i like all music, not just yelling and screaming.
3. I am straight edge, but hate the straight edge trend.
4. I’m basically a nihilist, but i love all of my friends and i’m super nice to everyone.
5. I love playing guitar, and writing music, but i’m too lazy to get better at guitar in general.
6. Despite popular belief, I’m not an asshole who fucks girls over. I’m 100% of the time the person who gets fucked over.
7. I don’t give a fuck about religion, i don’t “hate god”, i just don’t believe that it exists. I will never shove my beliefs down anyone’s throat, as long they don’t do the same.
8. I love my job, but i wish i could go on tour again and just get the fuck outta here for a little while.
9. I prefer South Florida over any other part of Florida.
10. I’m kind of OCD about certain things, and i get claustrophobic some times.

nine things you’ve thought about recently

1. How much i miss my dog
2. How much longer my grandmother is going to live
3. Getting better at my job/Making more money
4. Finishing my sleeve
5. Working out more/lifting more (fuck you)
6. Writing more music
7. Beating God of War 2, so i can finally play part 3
8. Nightmare on Elm Street+Robin Hood remakes
9. Something else

eight ways to win your heart

1. Cooking my favorite foods
2. Not constantly talking about hardcore music, religion, or getting wasted
3. Saying cute things, even if completely insignificant
4. Laying around+watching movies with me
5. Liking dogs, and not JUST cats
6. The ability to socialize with my friends and not be awkward
7. Not to bicker with me about stupid shit
8. Confidence and self esteem, but not to be conceited

six things to do before you go to bed.

1. Shower
2. Brush my teeth
3. Watch a little tv
4. Maybe read something
5. Have my clothes out for the morning

five things you wish you could say to five different people right this very moment. 

1. stop being creepy
2. stop assuming things that aren’t true
3. i hope one day you grow up, so we can be friends
4. answer your god damn phone so i can sell you some shit! (not drugs)
5. come over

four things you’re doing right now. 

1. Tumblr
2. working
3. coughing
4. wanting to eat

three things you’re scared of

1. Death
2. Being alone forever
3. Being broke as fuck

two things you want to do before you die

1. Tour again
2. Not get fucked over (again)

one confession

    i hate nirvana, and i don’t like have heart.

Black metal. You’ve seen it on tv, in documentaries, portrayed as something sinister, evil, and feared by church officials in Norway, to say the least. I’m not trying to lecture anyone on the history of music on this blog, I just love to rant about my favorite bands on here, and share my insight, experiences, etc. As I said about death metal, you can argue about where black metal originated, where death metal originated, where punk originated, and so forth. In my opinion, as big of an influence Venom was, they weren’t really a black metal band..persay…so I definitely don’t feel that England is the country of origin. When you hear the term “black metal” and think of pure, raw, talent, and agression, Norway spawned the best black metal bands in the business.

Mayhem

Mayhem…so many line up changes, so many strange and shocking occurences, so much amazing music. My favorite Mayhem record(s)…some people will probably be pissed at me for this, but, my favorites are the ones post Per Yngve Ohlin (“Dead”)…I prefer Attila Csihar’s vocals, and strongly preferred Sven Erik Kristiansen (Maniac)’s vocals. It’s not that Dead’s vocals were bad, they were just nothing out of the ordinary to me…and at the time, there were a decent amount of thrash and black metal bands emerging, all of which had very similar sounding singers, but Attila’s vocals came out of nowhere and were so different sounding, as well as Maniac’s.

The band’s full line up on “De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas” was perfect in my opinion. The structure of the songs, the raw infusion of Hellhammer’s amazing drumming, and the cold, eerie, overall atmosphere they achieved throughout, especially on tracks like “Freezing Moon” and “Funeral Fog” is just something you don’t hear too often nowadays on any black metal band’s recordings. Not to mention, the whole rivlary between Varg Vikernes and Øystein Aarseth that actually led to Aarseth’s murder by Vikernes in 1993, I think, added to the overall feel of the record, and makes it that much more interesting to listen to.

My other personal favorite Mayhem record, is the EP that first introduced Maniac to the band, “Wolf’s Lair Abyss”. The line up on that record was perfect. One guitarist, no bullshit, straight up, no holds barred black metal. Raw and powerful. Maniac’s vocals came from out of nowhere. They were so raspy and disgusting sounding. I’d never heard anything quite like it. The lengths of the songs were perfect, Hellhammer’s drumming was ridiculous, it was just a perfect black metal record to me. The other 2 records Maniac sang on were both good, with the exception of a few weird experimental songs on “Grand Declaration of War”, but neither were as unusual or distinguishable as “Wolf’s Lair Abyss”.

Emperor

Emperor is one of those bands, where when you listen to them, you question how they do the things they do, and you admire the craftsmanship of the songwriting and structure.

Even on the “Wrath of the Tyrant” demos, and the collection of demos they compiled onto one cd later released by Century Media, their style, dinstinction, and perfection was undeniable and unsurpassable. In a time where the majority of black metal bands were all rebellious youngsters, banging on their instruments and screaming, running around with tiki torches and pissing off their parents, Emperor had established themselves as true composers, and challenged the traditions, and defied their peers. Ihsahn to me, is one of the greatest songwriters of the genre, and not just black metal, but extreme music as a whole. He managed to bust out song after song with catchy melodies, dark undertones, atmospheric synthesizers (without being overbearing and tacky), and did it all with precision and theory. Obviously his playing and writing abilities expanded and evolved over the years, but my favorite material is that of the earlier years, on their original demos.

My other favorite Emperor record is “IV Equilibrium”. To me, it showcases the true potential of their talent and abilities as a band. The combined songwriting of Ihsahn, Samoth, and Trym provided all the essentials of creating a perfect black metal masterpiece. Not only did Ihsahn’s guitar playing improve tremendously over the years, but his songwriting transformed from catchy songs, into tremendous soundscapes showcasing musical theory and sheer, undeniable precision. Trym’s drumming was an onslaught of merciless force and aggression, never letting up or falling short of perfect. The length of the songs were just right, and every song served its purpose in sequence. The almost operatic clean vocals, sometimes unnecessary served a much higher purpose on this record, as it only added to the overall gigantic feel of the entire album. I enjoyed “Promethius…”, but wasn’t as impressed with it as I was with “IV Equilibrium”.

Let’s be serious here. Death metal and black metal are the two most obscure and feared forms of heavy metal ever created. You can beat around the bush, and argue about when it began and which bands were the originators. But let’s face it, Florida is the state where the true pioneers of death metal draw their roots from. That’s my honest opinion. I could go into a long tangent about black metal, but I’ll save that for tomorrow. I just felt like discussing a couple of the bands that redefined the genre for me, as a youngster, and completely opened my mind up to “extreme” music. Obviously, Cannibal Corpse was one of the first death metal bands to gain mainstream notoriety out of Tampa, Florida, but they were originally from Buffalo, New York. So don’t think that I forgot about them!

Morbid Angel

I’m not going to lie. The first time I ever had the pleasure of hearing/seeing this band was from seeing the “God of Emptiness” music video on Beavis & Butthead when I was about 9 years old. The video alone was so different than anything I’d ever seen on MTV. Very strange and very creepy and the music was unlike any heavy metal I’d ever heard up to that point. All I had been exposed to at the time were the bands my brother listened to in the 80s (Metallica, Megadeth, Iron Maiden, Motley Crue, Guns N’ Roses, etc), and the early 90s alternative & grunge bands (Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, Nine Inch Nails, Marilyn Manson, Filter, White Zombie, etc)…so hearing straight forward death metal for the first time was definitely weird for a kid who grew up having only been accustomed to mainstream heavy metal. I remember buying the record “Covenant” a few years later, by the time I’d gotten to middle school, and loving everything about it. The drumming was the first thing that caught my attention. Granted, I don’t play drums, or know the first thing about drums, but I sure as hell know when a drummer is incredibly talented, and Pete Sandoval is still to this day my favorite drummer in a death metal band. Trey Azagthoth is also, in my opinion, one of the most creative, innovative, and influential guitar players in the entire genre of heavy music. No death metal guitarist/songwriter has been able to capture such evil sounding tones and managed to achieve such depth in their…riffage, if you will, as Trey has/continues to do. All their records are good to me. None have ever disappointed me, no matter who was singing/playing bass, nor has any other band been as on-point, tremendous in sound, and as much of an experience to witness live.

Obituary

The very first time I got a chance to hear Obituary, I was in 7th grade, and did not have a computer, so the only way I could hear bands was to literally go to the mall, go to Spec’s Music, and pick out the most violent album cover, or pick out the coolest sounding name. I picked up Obituary’s live album “Dead” and was blown away. The best thing about this album, besides the recording sounding incredible for a live concert, was that it gave me a chance to hear an anthology of all their best work. If there was ever a band who was straight to the point, they were that band. Originally, Death was the band from Florida who started the whole mid-range death metal vocal style, and deeper sounding guitar riffs, but I feel that Obituary was the band who took it to the next level. John Tardy’s vocals were the next step from the straight forward thrash and punk yelling style of vocals, to the more aggressive form of gutteral style vocals. Now, I’m not saying his voice is as deep as Will Rahmer from Mortician, but John’s voice was definitely innovative for its time. Besides Max Cavalera, I feel like no one else at the time was singing that way. Obituary’s songs are very direct and distinct, with a stripped down feel to them. There were no blast beasts, but were all kept very upbeat. One of the things I love about their music, are the mid-tempo, slower parts in their songs. A million bands can play thrashy upbeat rhythms and do it well, or play a million blast beats and bust out solos here and there, but the groovier, more mid-paced parts in Obituary songs, were so fun and interesting to me, and still give me goosebumps upon listening to them (listen to the tracks: Chopped in Half & Cause of Death for good examples). What it comes down to, is this band knew who they were, did it well, with consistency, and with passion. To this day, I hear a lot of hardcore and metal bands loosely influenced by James Murphy and Trevor Peres’s style of guitar playing (Cruel Hand, Creatures, Hatebreed, and so forth).

I caught this band’s set at the This is Hardcore festival back in the summer when I filled in on bass for Until the End. They were SO heavy live, and simply, spot-on. There are a million hardcore bands, a million mosh metal bands, and this band was just different. I mean, they’re definitely a hardcore band, if you want to get technical and need to classify them. Of course. But the raw energy and depth to the riffs and the strength and charisma in the vocals are unsurpassable. Not only that, but the instruments are so in-sync with each other and on point, it’s ridiculous. From what I’ve heard, they’re currently taking a break from playing shows, which I hope is only temporary, because it would royally suck if this band broke up. So with that being said, check them out. If you’re a fan of Buried Alive, the newer Integrity records, and even Obituary, you need to give this band a listen.

(2009) - Demo

1. Cyrus, the Almighty

2. Only the Strong

3. Cages

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(2008) - Unconquered

1. Pressure Drops

2. Fallen Empire

3. Unconquered

4. No Sleep

5. 01/03/07

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So…Go It Alone was a great band and Mark Palms was a great front man. His vocal technique and lyrical content were both refreshing and reassuring that there is still hope in a scene of monotony and unoriginality. When Go It Alone broke up, it definitely, for a lack of better words, sucked. Not to say that there aren’t great bands still arising to this day, but to lose one, especially amongst a million overprivileged and over-hyped bands, was a bummer to say the least.

I literally, just today found out about Palms’ new musical endeavor, Devotion. Not only did I not know that he was planning on doing a “solo project”, but I didn’t know he was such a good musician. I didn’t even know he knew how to play a guitar, let alone compose an entire monster of a record. With a little help on drums from ON’s Aaron O’Neil, Palms has brought to life an album that culminates, what sounds to me, like an appreciation for some of his, and my, favorite bands of all time. The influences range from Seattle grunge legends Soundgarden and Alice in Chains, and a mixture of 90s inspired hardcore, paying homage to Burn, Quicksand, and maybe even Turning Point, even though that technically counts as the 80s.

What I appreciate about the Devotion record, is that it’s subtle, in a sense that…things don’t just pop out of nowhere and confuse the shit out of you. While there are bands today who have no perception of how to make things flow, and how to flat out make their music make sense and have meaning and relevance behind it, Palms took the time to put his influences and songwriting abilities to work to make an album that flows and makes more sense than…I don’t know…butter on toast, spaghetti and meatballs, burgers and fries. Catch my drift? The range of genres blended together on the record just sound like they’re all supposed to be there, and are sewn together in perfect harmony. Subtlty is the key word I prefer to use. And sometimes the word comes off as a negative connotation, and can indicate that something is mediocre, or bland, but not in this case. The mixture of tastes heard here are all coveyed with class, caution, delicasy, and most importantly, they are conveyed with Devotion.

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Rivalry Records Myspace

This band is great. I heard about them, bought their 7 inch at a local mom and pops store while we were in Australia a few months back, and got their older demo from my friend Oliver (who is also in a great band that sounds like Converge/Botch called Fractures, check them out as well). But I Exist resembles bands like Cursed, Eyehategod, older Integrity, and Sleep. Their lyrical subject matter is all anti-religious and very thought provoking, and they seem to have a keen liking to the hydroponic lifestyle, which seems to be a muse for their songwriting…So yeah, be sure to give them a good listen and download their 2 free demos/7 inches they recorded in 2009, as well as to be sure to buy their full length (that they’re currently recording) early 2010.

Myspace

I Exist - Demo

1. Tired Lies
2. Frail
3. Decrepit Devotion
4. False Portrayel
5. 2 by 4
6. System of Empty Promises

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I Exist - Three Nails and a Book of Flaws EP

1. Caged Meat
2. Invert The Sun
3. Subhan’ Allah
4. His Final Testament
5. Holy Profit
6. Inveiglement

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I’ve been seeing a few people trying to get Eyehategod’s masterpiece of a record “Dopesick” or maybe just the band in general, turned into a trending topic on twitter, which is weird, because I literally just listened to that entire record last night, and “In the Name of Suffering” this morning. Maybe there’s some contageous EHG Virus going around the U.S…who knows. Anyways…thought I’d do a little appreesh (appreciation) post on the band. Now, keep in mind, I’ve never smoked weed in my entire life, or cigarettes for that matter, done any sort of mind altering euphoria enducing substance of any kind, and I still thoroughly enjoy listening to this band, and condone the slow, stoner, sludgey, down-tuned form of musical songwriting. Eyehategod, in my opinion, is one of the revolutionists in this sub-genre of heavy metal, punk rock, whatever you want to classify it as. There are key ingredients to it…A lead singer who sounds like he’s completely fucking cooked on drugs (which I’ve collected he was at one point or another), regardless, even if he’s not/was not, it sounds like somebody has his testicles in a bench vice and he’s screaming out in pain. The guitar tone on “Dopesick” and “In the Name of Suffering” (my two favorite albums) is muddy, unclear, super gainy, super bassy, and all around noisy, with excessive amounts of feedback. Not only that, but it sounds like the entire band is performing live, instead of individually recording their instruments in a super professional, over produced studio setting. The bass guitar is overpowering at times, and relentlessly thumping, like that of a gorilla’s heartbeat, and the drums are piercing with every hit. You don’t find this quality in any modern rock n’ roll, punk, hardcore, or metal band anymore, because people see this as a negative thing nowadays. Nobody appreciates doing things old fashioned, and having such honesty and raw emotion in their music and recordings anymore. I’d say one of the closest things to this style of recording and craft can be heard on Life Long Tragedy’s “Runaways”, but that’s besides the point. Eyehategod completely blurred the lines of musicianship and songwriting on these two records by blending countless styles of not only punk and hardcore, but blues, metal, and what sounds to me like a throwback to early Norwegian black metal pioneers, Burzum. The similarities between Mike Williams and Varge Vikernes is uncanny, and their gut wrenching style and ability to put such depth and aggression into words and sound is outrageous and impressive to me, still to this day. The guitar work of Jimmy Bower and Brian Patton is not only tremendous in tone, but so simple, that it just makes perfect sense. Because c’mon, it doesn’t take a brain surgeon to play hardcore, or to play power chords, but it takes a specific kind of person to be able to put this much anger and emotion into your guitar playing and performance. The bass guitar and drums compliment the guitars and vocals well, but also sound like they’re almost competing against them in a war to be the noisiest and most abrasive. So what it all comes down to is, there are bands similar in sound to Eyehategod, and some of those bands are pretty good, and some are just plain imitations. All I know is, when I first heard EHG in my pre-teen years, I was completely blown away. When I was in middle school, my favorite band was the Misfits, along with Morbid Angel, and Cannibal Corpse. All I knew was death metal, and punk rock. I had never heard anything as insane as Eyehategod, and I know I’m never going to hear another band who comes anywhere as close to enducing the same reaction out of me ever again.

“In the Name of Suffering” (1992)

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“Dopesick” (1996)

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01. Dark Horse ( 2:54)
02. Reap What You Sow ( 2:39)
03. Axe To Fall ( 1:41)
04. Effigy ( 1:42)
05. Worms Will Feed / Rats Will Feast ( 5:52)
06. Wishing Well ( 2:49)
07. Damages ( 4:26)
08. Losing Battle ( 1:46)
09. Dead Beat ( 2:36)
10. Cutter ( 1:40)
11. Slave Driver ( 2:48)
12. Cruel Bloom ( 4:01)
13. Wretched World ( 7:10)

This record is beautiful, and anybody who knows me, knows that I love Converge. They are in my opinion, one of the most innovative and original sounding hardcore/metalcore bands, especially still to this day. They’ve been doing it since the early 90s and haven’t given up on raising the bar yet. It’s been raised even further on this record. The boundaries of normalcy have been overstepped by them long ago, and instead of making another thrash record, like a million of their peers, they’ve accomplished something no one has yet. Converge to me, is known for Jacob Bannon’s excessively irratic style of vocals and Kurt Balou’s sporatic and unpredictable guitar work. Axe to Fall is anything but predictable. While they do tend to keep the entire record pretty upbeat and fast paced, they catch the listener off guard many times throughout the record. Random eerie sounding interludes, and dark sludgey undertones serve as easter eggs throughout the album. The gem “Worms Will Feed” slows things down and shows a shoegaze-esque side of the band, and also showcases Nate Newton’s strong vocals (in my opinion strongly resembling LG Petrov of Entombed), and the track “Damages” shows off the band’s more metalcore side. I could go into all the guest musicians and their contributions to the record, but it would literally take up an entire page. Check out the Wikipedia entry for the album to see the entire list. To close off the album, it seems to me that they chose not one, but two tracks to sum up the overall feel and maturity attained this time around, in the songs “Cruel Bloom” and “Wretched World”, including accoustic guitars, extensive clean vocals, keyboards, and most importantly, mysterious melodies that take you on an endless voyage of pleasurable listening experiences. And that, my friends, is why I love this band: you never know what they’re going to do next, and where their music is going to take you.

Myspace

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