Metal Reviews

For Melvins, I'd say Houdini or Bullhead from the earlier albums, (A) Senile Animal or Nude With Boots from the later stuff (with two drummers!). They can get pretty weird, but those are good entry points.

Do like a good bit of PJH! That earlier, gnarlier stuff of hers is pretty great. No idea what Cobain would have thought of this next singer, but she's always been a favourite of mine:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPeheoBa2_Y

Thanks for the Melvins recs! Two drummers can be a lot of fun, like on the Trail of Dead song I posted in the favorite songs thread.

I always thought Bjork was kinda cool, but I definitely need to go back through her stuff if this track is any indication! Reminded me a lot of Portishead, which is a very good thing. Not to say my taste in the pre nu-metal 90s was bad: as Alice in Chains, Tool, Smashing Pumpkins, and Stone Temple Pilots are all bands I still come back to, but my sister's was a little more obscure. PJ Harvey, Bjork, Juliana Hatfield, Hole, The Breeders and Belly, all great stuff she was into that I ignored because 'girls can't make good music'. She also became a big fan of this band in early 1997 because of this song. I remember occasionally seeing the video on MTV and turning it off in a rage, probably because she constantly sang it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qyVSKydUxKk

I'm not hating this, but it's not quite working for me either, maybe just not quite in the mood for it? Definitely better than most of the alt-90s Alanis-esque girl rockers I remember...

Still, while we're on the topic... Female-fronted rock rarely beat this lot in my experience. I think Charles even reviewed them for the site...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PuNxpykpRo0

Bjork is simply sublime and I'm not talking the So Cal variety. Her music/presentation is completely singular but also ever-evolving with each new release. Like Bowie but in an Icelandic wood sprite's body. I haven't listened to either Biophilia or Utopia yet, but everything from Post up through Vespertine is thoroughly excellent. Debut and Vulnicara have their moments but aren't quite as consistent. This track from Homogenic (perhaps her best work) exemplifies that wonderfully sweet yet ethereal quality that makes her stuff so damn enchanting.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=loB0kmz_0MM

Skunk's singer has a great voice! The instrumental section didn't hold up for me much though: a main reason I push Veruca so heavily is they have a throwback lead guitarist, and she's quite good (sidenote, I found out Skunk opened for Veruca during an 8 show tour of England/Scotland in Jan 1995!). Regardless, Deborah seems to have a really distinct singing style and I'm definitely going to check out more of Skunk's stuff because of her. Another interesting thing I looked up about Skunk is how well they sold in Europe (back to back platinum in the UK, back to back triple plat in Italy!) compared to no one in the US (myself included) having any clue who the hell they are.

Staying in your great country, this band counts Mike Akerfeldt, Brian Eno, and Jonas Renkse among its fans.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKYY0IlTMw4

Thanks for sharing more Bjork, Thrash! Enchanting is a great word for her music. I'm a little partial to the driving beat of Goat's track shared above, but this one shows off her voice more.

I love that music video, the terrain shifting and moving...



Slowdive! Terrific stuff. You can hear where Katatonia and the blackgaze crew get their inspiration from, especially. Yet another addition to the playlist.

I forgot one very important female-fronted band earlier, probably my favourite ever, although you are probably aware of them! One of their later tracks that I think shows off their proggy nature well:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_Kqj5qmpXs

Yeah, I'm very familiar with their discography from Mandylion through Souvenirs. Hadn't heard this before though: you know in my 20s I would have thought this track, especially the ending, was too soft, but now I think it ended perfectly. Very beautiful!

I have to finish covering my favorites from a subgenre, so on to the band fronted by Bruce Dickinson's cousin.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DoEav9mAB3U

Ah, you need to hear the most recent albums with Silje! Very much worth hearing, especially Disclosure.

This link didn't work ("not in your country" nonsense) but I found an alternative; interesting! Like a grungy/alt rock Blue Oyster Cult, oddly.

More fem-fronted alt-/prog- rock, I'm in the mood for it now.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jP3zzPC3a1s

Well that is garbage, why would they censor a video made by a UK band in your country? Oh well. Yes, thanks for the Autumn reminder! You recommended a track from their newest album when I first admitted to my new obsession. This is very good too: I ought to check out more of their stuff as well as Madder Mortem's, which was similarly excellent.

Since you mentioned them upthread, Thurston Moore said this band was his favorite in 1995 and insisted they open for Sonic Youth. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VK2q71f0XOI

Online and regional rights are wacky things! And yes, Madder Mortem are a very solid band too.

I like this Helium, nicely heavy and the breathy vocals fit it well. I can see the SY in their sound. The heaviness of the riffs reminds me of another group, albeit one not female-fronted:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEnMb4m9lu0

Helmet got lost in the alt-metal shuffle for me, undeservedly so based on the few tracks I have heard anyway. This is charmingly straight ahead riffage and just the right touch of lead in places. Really really good! Deftones were the last band in this arena that I listened to before going into much heavier metal, and it is interesting to trace back their influences. Helmet was definitely on their heavier side, and this band was massively influential on their White Pony era (yet another Louise Post rec and yet another band that Steve Albini recorded).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdJOe9fBj6I

I'd never heard of these guys! But you're right, you can see the influence on Deftones (and you can see where it trickled into the likes of Cave In, too). I like these bands that nearly step towards doom in their use of groove a lot, shows what a vital band to the genre Black Sabbath were.

Related to the Melvins and clearly influenced by them (they played together on a couple of albums), this is a modern act I like quite a lot:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIsyTxgSxwo

Yes, Black Sabbath's historical influence can't be understated, and not just on metal either but a lot of these rock bands I've recently discovered too.

Big Business's vocals were jarring at first but the drums and riffs were fantastic! The second time I listened was much better than the first, very good sign going forward.

I never saw you talk about this band here so pardon me if you were familiar with them but they were always one of my very favorites. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UppzHHk2qMA&list=LLZ0AO31Ur3LYR2ISFda1G7A&index=3&t=0s

Ooh, some nicely muscular doom! I don't think I had heard of Dolorian, so thanks for introducing me to their suitably grim heaviness. I like the riffs as well as the snarled/whispered vocals! The Finns are eternally underrated when it comes to metal, despite the likes of Reverend Bizarre (and I'm sure you are familiar with them, despite the temptation to throw a very lengthy RB track at you!), Keeping things doom, here's an act that incorporate doom and death well into their sound and have plenty of fun with it too:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GThfDn07eMQ

The album I posted from is all whispers vocals, but the first is black metal vocals and the third is a combination. And yes Reverend Bizarre is legendary, in all its forms (I remember Noodles had the cover art from the first album as his avatar).

I think Temple of Void here has a great heavy, clean but not too clean production, with a mix of excellent riffs and leads. I could take or leave the clean vocals but really liked the death vocals. Finally the Dolorian reminiscent guitar intro was fantastic, really appreciated the connection there.

Speaking of Finnish doom, this is one of the most unsettling tracks I've ever heard. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40BMrP1zPMM

This is interesting! Almost a more avant-garde take on doom, albeit structured, and laid out in a way that lets you take each element in (that drum sound is not great, for example, but I do like the vocals and guitar sound)... Not sure about most unsettling, however, I'd still give that to Axis of Perdition or the like...

Doom really comes down to personal taste - I do like Temple of Void getting out the riffs, for example. But this is an example of how beautiful the genre can be: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMSkqOO6pNA

Yes, you highlight that a doom sound can be approached in so many ways as this Yob track really is beautiful. The repeated clean guitar motif here is as memorable as what happens in the Cry of Mankind, can't think of much higher praise from the genre.

You are right that doom metal can be such a limiting and downright misleading genre descriptor at times, much like I would argue shoegaze often is: what the hell is depressive about the way this track ends? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcyfPXF770U

Yob have really grown to become one of my favourites.



Ride! I like this, it's like a happy Alice In Chains mixed with early Britpop! Easy to forget the links all these British bands had back in the day, this is like a heavier, more intensely psychedelic Stone Roses. Shoegaze is a deeper genre than you think, you're right.

I do like the 90s experiments with psychedelic rock, but I think I prefer the older, Hawkwind-y school of it. These guys are a good disciple of the tradition:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHSux581CGQ

Nothing wrong with being a disciple of Hawkwind obviously (fascinating that the Sex Pistols were apparently big fans), on this Farflung track I liked the instrumental excursions here and there plus the Ozzy reminiscent vocals.

By the way, are other genres besides rock subgenres/metal ok with you here? I'm good with you posting anything besides hip-hop and was very curious about your favorites from Shining (Nor). This band was a one album wonder mixing AiC, prog, and sludge. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DPgnSktz3s&list=PLp6d_0NFYOm418Qs09ULMQKiFbqq_61mP&index=2