Heavy Metal

LISTENING TO MY ALBUMS FROM 1994

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I’ve been listening to all the albums that I own. I am currently making my way through years ending in 4.

These were originally posted on Mastodon, so one big post. I’ll post when I listen from now on.

August 12

Pale Saints – Slow Buildings
Their last album and without Ian Masters so a kind of different band. All being said may be my favorite or theirs.

Page & Plant – No Quarter
The second best MTV Unplugged (UnLedded) album. A fun surprise at the time.

Nova Mob – Nova Mob
Second album by the Grant Hart lead band. Not as good as The Last Days of Pompeii, but worth your time.

Nirvana – MTV Unplugged In New York
The best MTV Unplugged album.

NineI nch Nails – The Downward Spiral
Everything NIN is about is in the first three releases. They get repetitious for me after this.

New Raidant Storm King – August Revital
Sonic Youth worship, it’s OK. The next album “Hurricane Necklace” is the one you want to check out.

New Order – (The Best of) New Order
I’m more a Joy Division guy. Thus the best of.

Mercyland – Spillage
David Barbe better know as the basist for Sugar. A few stand out tracks.

August 11

Polvo – Celebrate the New Dark Age
Warped, psychedelic noise rock from Chapel Hill, NC.

Pitchblende – Au Jus
If a Discord band turned into a noise band. Yes they are from Washington DC. No they’re not on Discord.

Penance – Parallel Corners
The lone outlier. Traditional doom from former Dream Death members.

Panel Donor – s/t
Lawrence KS has their own special kind of noise. I put out a split with this band. Another band from Lawrence to check out is Zoom.

August 10

Queensryche – Promise Land
Their last good album. Less of a clinical production here.

Pure Joy – Unsung
Rusty Willoughby of Flop, Fastback, Llama. This is more straightforward 90s power-pop.

Punchdrunk – From Dad
Milwaukee ex-pats. Melodic angular indie rock. The Replacements meet Jawbox?

Portishead – Dummy
Sour Times is an all time favorite. Friends at the time gave me the business for liking this. Not sure what their problem was.

August 9

Sebadoh – Bakesale
Easily their best, rivals Dino Jr. None of that fucking around noise crap and ditched the lo-fi.

Samiam – Clumsy
Melodic Post-Hardcore? I won’t call them the e-word. Their best.

Rodan – Rusty
Slint meets Shellac. Prime Touch & Go.

REM – Monster
Peter Buck overdosing on a tremolo pedal. This is a boring album. The most popular R.E.M. is the worst.

August 5

Solitude Aeturnus – Through the Darkest Hour
Doom in the Dio Sabbath fashion.

Smashing Pumpkins – Pisces Iscariot
Odds and Ends. I only need their first two.

Silkworm – Libertine
Noisy 90s Guitar indie rock. The smarmy, slacker kind. I want to like it. I don’t.

Shudder To Think – Pony Express Record
The question is can you deal with the vocals? When I’m in the mood. Outside the first album this may be their best.

AUGUST 4

Versus – The Stars are Insane
I keep this for the song Blade of Grass, the rest isn’t so good. Quieter end of the loud quiet indie rock of the time kind of like a twee Seam or Codeine.

The Veldt – Afrodisiac
What if you crossed Shoegaze with R&B?

Various Artist – Working Holiday
Simple Machines Comp of singles and live tracks.

Various Artists – If I Were a Carpenter
The 90s loved its tribute albums. Saved by Sonic Youth’s “Superstar” which is one of my favorite covers ever.

Thirty Ought Six – Bosozoku
Cross between Fugazi and Tad, throw in a little Sunny Day Real Estate.

Superchunk – Foolish
Breakup Superchunk isn’t for me. They righted the ship on “Here’s Where the Strings Come In”.

Sunny Day Real Estate – Diary
Say what you’d like it’s not emo. Grunge arena rock? Sure.

Sugar – File Under Easy Listening
The least of the Sugar releases. No one wanted to hear anyone but Bob sing.

Steel Pole Bath Tub – Some Cocktail Suggestions
Albini recording doesn’t do it, go listen to the Miracle of Sound in Motion instead.

Soundgarden – Superunknown
This album is way too long and way too normal, all the edges are buffed off. 4th of July is great though.

Sonic Youth – Experimental Jetset and No Star
Good not great.

AUGUST 1

Wool – Box Set
This is pretty much Scream doing grunge/stoner rock)

Weezer – Blue Album
Guessing you know this one.

Wannadies – Be a Girl
Swedish Weezer?

VerucaSalt – American Thighs
Chicago Weezer?

LISTENING TO MY ALBUMS FROM 1994

ALBUM ANNIVERSARIES FOR JULY 21

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Albums released on July 21st that are in my collection.

Black Sabbath – Master of Reality (1972)
This is the first Sabbath record I bought. I wanted Paranoid but it was sold out. My 9 year old brain was not prepared, this was my favorite for a while, until I got Sabotage.

Rezillios – Can’t Stand the Rezillios (1978)
The Scottish version of the Dickies or are the the Dickies the US version of the Rezillios? The Rezillios were first, they’re both great.

Loudness – Devil Soldier (1982)
The pre-US major label Loudness is a completely different thing. Sure some of the old sound pops up especially on “Lightning Strikes / Shadows of War”. A bit more progressive in the playing and some song structures, t’s definitely more adventurous, I’m sure their A&R person told them to streamline it for the US.

Circle Jerks – Golden Shower of Hits (1983)
The first three Circle Jerks are the best, this would be second best after Group Sex. Never as good as Keith Morris’ time in Black Flag.

Guns ‘n Roses – Appetite for Destruction (1987)
Lots of baggage here. I can’t listen to this anymore do to its omnipresence. I was in from the “Live like a Suicide” EP and for the year before Appetite blew up. Aerosmith now sucked and Guns was here to take their place. Then it was everywhere and all the other shit happened.

Solitude Aeturnus – Beyond The Crimson Hnrizon (1992)
Not fully realized yet a damn good doom album. In the line of slower Dio Sabbath.

Devin Townsend – Beyond The Crimson Hnrizon (1992)
Im not quite sure I like this or any Devin Townsend for that matter. It’s very dreamlike and washes over you and is pretty one dimentional. I think I don’t like his production style.

Voivod – Morgoth Tales (2023)
An unecessary rerecording of their own songs. The good stuff is the Die Kreuzen and Public Image Ltd. covers.
Edit: The Die Kreuzen cover of “Man in the Trees” is not on this its only on “Lean into It: A Tribute to Die Kreuzen” on Erosion Records.

ALBUM ANNIVERSARIES FOR JULY 21

ALBUM ANNIVERSARIES FOR JULY 15

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Albums released on July 15th that are in my collection.

Yes – Going for the One (1977)
Yes was running out of ideas in the late 70s. I guess it’s more accessible with shorter songs but the sound is still stale. I guess at least it’s not as bad as “Tormoto”.

The Damned – Phantasmagoria (1985)
The “goth” album. “Grimley Fiendish” sounds like a theme to a kids animated monster show. Beyond this song and the album cover – which is fantastic – it’s not very goth. Captain Sensible had left but you can still feel his presence, maybe the goth thing comes from Dave Vanian now being focal point of the band. The album after this – “Anything” – is best left unheard.

Trouble – Run to the Light (1987)
After a two year wait there was a new Trouble album. Slightly disappointing at the time. It’s a solid doom metal release. The streamlining of their sound began and the psychedelic elements start popping up while the Christian lyrics start going away.

Melvins – Stag (1996)
The last great Melvins’ album. It’s definitely the most out there and experimental of their major label albums. Sure there’s the expected sludgy and heavy songs but most all have some odd-ball twist. I think many were disappointed they didn’t do Stoner Witch Part 2 or that it was markedly weird than that.

ALBUM ANNIVERSARIES FOR JULY 15

Album Anniversaries for July 7

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Albums released on July 7 that are in my collection.

The Stooges – Fun House (1970)
Runs out of gas at the end, hey let’s just do a noise freak out.

Rainbow – On Stage (1977)
A nicely edited single album that saves you from the bloat and Dio’s scatting on the unedited live albums like “Live in Munich”

Styx – Grand Illusion (1977)
I still enjoy this but not as much as I did in 1977. It’s a lot. What the Brits call “pomp rock”.

David Lee Roth – Eat Em and Smile (1986)
The only Van Halen related album post 1984 that’s worth my/your time. Even if it’s an approximation of Van Halen’s Roth years. There’s a version in Spanish that’s worth tracking down.

Faster Pussycat – Faster Pussycat (1987)
Ridiculous sleaze metal/rock. Very over the top and very enjoyable if you partake.

Album Anniversaries for July 7

Man vs Machine No. 3

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Still looking for an image.

Every week Apple Music makes a New Music Mix for users. I will make off the cuff “reviews” of the songs the algorithm “thinks” I will like. I can manipulate this list much easier than the friends list by what I listen to. That being said it loves feeding me Black and Death Metal which for the most part isn’t my thing.

The Damned “Making Time” if I didn’t know this was the Damned I’d never guess. Listened to 1 minute and 8 seconds.

Civic “Cosmic Astronaut “ Not the Aussie punk band. Apple you need to fix the multiple bands with the same name problem. Listened 8 seconds.

Landowner “Slippery Abyss” Jangly guitars with talk singing, a painful combo when the song is so bad. Listened to 31 seconds.

Hey Colossus “Runaway Heart” I think this is supposed to be weird, it’s boring. Listened to all of it waiting for something to happen.

A Place to Bury Strangers “Acid Rain” Ultra distorted guitars almost to being painful. Ethereal vocals. Not sure what I think. Listened to all of it.

Megadeth “Another Bad Day” Lifeless. Listened to 1 minute.

Lubomyr Melnyk “Windmills, Pt. 1” Dark, creepy almost ambient piano. Eventually gets into his more Philip Glass type music. Listened to it all.

Black Swan “When the Cold Wind Blow” Starts off and I’m excited for some noisy rock, then it becomes dull power metal. Listened to 1 minute 18 seconds.

Joe Hoekstra’s 13 “Lifeline” Wow sterile unimaginative pop metal in 2026. This is paste. Listened to 50 seconds.

Necofier “Servents of Darkness, Guide My Way III” You know you’re in trouble when you’re on the second sequel of a song. Generic Black Metal. Listened 1 minute and 31 seconds.

Possession “The Black Chappel” Out of all the music I play, I listen to Immortal once and it’s like here’s a lot boring of Black Metal . 1 minute 2 seconds.

Final Gasp “No Hand to Lead” Someone likes Lane Staley. 34 seconds.

Psycroptic “Failing” Music is as bad as the band name. Enough with the metal. 22 seconds.

The Silver “Memorias” Melodeath Black metal. Kinda prog. It’s shit. 53 seconds.

At the Gates “The Fever Mask” It’s good but do you really need more than Slaughter of the Soul? Listened to all of it.

Harrowed “The Haunter” Maybe there should be some kind of license needed to have a metal band. 1 minute 10 seconds.

Suplecs “Pentacle Star” i think this is supposed to be Stoner Rock, whatever it is it’s bad. Listened to 1 minute and 12 seconds.

Chuck Treese Rachel Anne “Our Town (Eye Can Tell)” How this was recommend to me and what did I listen to trigger it is a mystery. Listened to all of it to see if it was anything but vocals and breathing, it wasn’t.

Good Riddence “There’s Still Tonight” Great I listen to hardcore punk and it thinks I want this crap. 58 seconds.

Social Distortion “Born to Kill” Still mining the “I work on my car/motorcycle 50+ punks”. 33 seconds.

Stereolab “Cloud Land” never been much for them. A bit too twee. I kind of like this. Listened to it all.

ADULT. “No One is Coming” Shit, two in a row I enjoy. Noisy Electronic/Industrial with Lene Lovich like vocals. Listened to it all.

Nick Plunti “Bruises and Bandages” The dreaded singer songwriter, who is good at neither. 12 seconds.

Dada Laida “The Beyond” Because you can play guitar technically doesn’t mean you play it well. 44 seconds.

Angel Du$t “Downfall” What did I do to deserve this? 37 seconds.

Man vs Machine No. 3