FLOATING IN THE MAINSTREAM SEA OF SHIT

FLOATING IN THE MAINSTREAM SEA OF SHIT

Short Reviews of Mainstream Metal Fare


ATRIARCH - Dead As Truth 

Relapse Records

You need to be a tranny in black wig, black nail polish and lipstick to enjoy this one. Back in 2011 I gave this band the benefit of the doubt with their debut. But now they're like a fourth rate grimmer sounding BAUHAUS. Add to the fact that they must've phoned this recording in. Please don't say Portlandia is now part of a Goth Revival.

https://store.relapse.com/


TAU CROSS - Pillar of Fire

Relapse Records

Supposedly this ah supergroup (?) featuring Rob Miller of AMEBIX and Michel Langevin of VOIVOD (as well as other nobodys) had an incredible debut in 2015 with their self titled debut. Oh well I missed out on that one. But from listening to this I'm guessing the hype machine was in full force. Some of this is straight up rock music. There's folk and maybe lame punk crap. Look people back in the day, because I was there, AMEBIX were a second rate anarcho punk act at best. This revisionist take on their significance, as well as some other bands, is ridiculous. 

https://store.relapse.com/


CANNIBAL CORPSE - Red Before Black

Metal Blade Records

OK so I stand corrected. For a few months now I've been mocking CANNIBAL CORPSE and well I have to admit this is a great album. Honestly they haven't done something this good since 2006's Kill in my not so humble opinion. Say it's part of Erik Rutan's production, maybe he lit a fire under their collected asses or the crazy knife like soloing throughout. It's just a great death metal record put out by a band who just wants you to know they're not a nostalgia act. Good for them because I'm impressed and that's no easy feat.

https://www.indiemerch.com/metalbladerecords


ARTIFICIAL BRAIN - Infrared Horizon

Profound Lore Records

Yeah I know, including Profound Lore into the mainstream is a stretch. But ya see years ago when I saw some hiptard scribes call em a label for "thinking man's metal" then my mind was made up. Although they've released some cool stuff in the past this ain't one of em. ARTIFICIAL BRAIN might hail from New York but they're as far from NYDM as I am from writing for Pitchfork. Imagine Thurston Moore introducing ULCERATE to BIG BLACK with the weird chord progressions plus brutal death metal vocals and blackened raspy screeching. Yeah this is thinking man's metal as in I think it's annoying.

http://www.profoundlorerecords.com/


FULL OF HELL - Trumpeting Ecstasy

Profound Lore Records

Reminds me of the screams from the sore losers from last year's election put to an industrial grindcore background. Toss in some hardcore, death metal, noisy stuff and even black metal. It's produced by Kurt Ballou so you know I'll hate it. Kitchen sink metal for posers. I think they need a hug but not from me because I'd choke em. Can you just get generic to the point of being more pathetically generic? 

http://www.profoundlorerecords.com/