Pain - Rebirth (1999)

Cost: $2.00

Just to give you some idea of where I'm coming from, I very much like older Hypocrisy (especially Osculum..., which I think has a wonderfully organic/swarming sound that tends to only be associated with Morbid Angel).  I don't actively dislike their later stuff, nor am I particularly interested in it.  Similarly, I wouldn't consider myself a big fan of the majority of recordings done at Abyss Studios.

Hell, I'm writing the above just to waste some space.  I thought I'd have a much more polarized opinion about this since it combines techno/electronica and metal--in most cases, I'm the natural enemy to mutant hybrids of metal and non-metal.  I don't like this album, but I don't find it terribly offensive either.  The techno influence is so prevalent and dominant over the metal that with the pulsing beats, many parts are essentially heavy club music.  In that sense, it's amusing in a silly novelty sort of way.  I only found "Dark Fields of Pain" noteworthy with its slower pace and low vocals, as it has a definite Type O Negative vibe (ironic, as I was never a Type O fan.  Now, Carnivore, on the other hand...).

Destroyed By Anger - Destroyed By Anger (1997)

Cost: $0.99

Another years-old purchase I'm finally getting around to listening to.  But with that cover, can you blame me?  I recall reading a review or distro description saying this was in a classic NYHC-meets-death-metal style--not the most appealing of prospects, but I could see it being tolerable if it was energic and vicious.  Unfortunately, that turned out to be exaggerated scene journalism speak for downtuned metalcore.  

By the way, while all the other band members have their full names in the booklet, the vocalist--Jason Fligman, ex-Suffocation manager who also executive produced and released the CD--is just listed as "Jay."  Trying to distance himself from his own work?  Out of shame?  We may never know.

Paria - Misanthropos (2004)

Cost: $1.00

I had no positive expectations here, but hey, it was a buck and had a Metal Blade logo on the back.

Metalcore here, with the metallic component being that stuff that would nowadays be referred to as "technical metal" (I think that's a blatant misnomer as it implies Watchtower-style goodness)--really just a love of schizophrenic tempo changes.  I'm not even a fan of the metalcore bands who essentially play straight melodic death metal with shitty vox and breakdowns, so this brand of it was uninteresting to say the least.  I thought the last track "93rd and Paddock..." was ok because a.) it's a psychedelic heavy rock instrumental, which isn't really my thing either, but gives me a reprieve from the forced HC vox, and b.) the track is silent for several minutes before a hidden cover of Primus' "Too Many Puppies"--which is marginally better than the entire album as a whole--pops up. 

Immortal Cringe - Undying Fear (2000)

Cost: $3.00

'90s style technical death/thrash.  The usual hallmarks of the genre are here and for the most part, the band doesn't go overboard on the technicality or get overly progressive.  There are some jazzy bass runs, most notably in "Diminished" and "Mend Your Trend," and two non-metal instrumentals--"BC" is a world music sounding piece centered around acoustic guitar and percussion, and "Aimless" is 40 seconds of classical guitar (the latter is actually very pleasant).  The one unusual/stumbling point is the vocals...I think I've heard similar ones somewhere, perhaps in punk/hardcore or a non-metal band--possibly even a thrash band--but I can't give any specific sound reference, so it may be easier to try and describe them.  They're gruff in the way hardcore vocals could be but they're not really extreme or ultra-forced.  The execution is pretty clean as they're mostly enunciated vocals rather than truly sung.  Now you should either still have no idea what they sound like or you should be scared away, although I must stress they're not that bad, just very atypical.  One of the shames is I have the band's earlier CD (I got it in a dollar bin, so I'll probably eventually throw up a post about it)--the lineup is the same but the vocals are much better, so I actually consider Undying Fear to be a small step down even though it's in the same vein musically.  Nothing earth-shattering here, but it fits rather neatly between the more straightforward technical thrash bands and stuff like Atheist (not as heavy and ferocious as the first two and not as weird/progressive as Elements).

Brick Bath - Rebuilt (2003)

Cost: $1.00

Pantera-style groovecore crap.  Can't say that was a huge surprise based on the band name, but since this was released by Crash, I chanced it in case this was generic death metal.  Oh well.

By the way, the guitarist Eric Meyer here is not the Eric Meyer from Dark Angel, even though some ill-informed websites say otherwise.  Yes, I realize that post-Dark Angel projects like Hunger and Swine were not exactly what one would call good, but at the end of the day the man played on Darkness Descends, for crying out loud.  Let's not crucify him for additional transgressions he didn't partake in.

Ceremony - The Days Before the Death (2000)

Let's be honest--you can argue all you want about labels that actually care about music and quality, but the bottom line is that the music industry is based on business.  If releasing music wasn't profitable, labels wouldn't exist (well, except for possibly 2 or 3 bullheaded DIY guys doing it as a "statement," but they'd probably all be focused on releasing noise rock and ambient).  So cash-grab releases shouldn't come as a surprise, but this one is more blatant than most--a 14-minute mini-CD that exists to capitalize on the fact that a pre-Morbid Angel Steve Tucker and pre-Cannibal Corpse Pat O'Brien are in the ranks.  Steve Tucker writes in the liner notes that these later musical endeavors show the caliber of the musicians involved in Ceremony.  I'll admit joining two of death metal's most famous bands is no small feat, but both guys were just mid-'90s replacements in bands whose most defining moments and best material were already long behind them.

As critical as the above sounds, musically I actually have no real problem with this release.  It's a 1993 (I think--the recording notes mention '93 but Tucker mentions '92...See the obvious care that went into this?) demo recording, just 3 songs and a 43 sec. acoustic instrumental.  Fairly standard early '90s death metal, not super technical but more proficient than your typical demo-level band.  I was about to say there's a detectable Floridian vibe to it (the band is from Ohio), but then I read inside the booklet that this reissue was mastered at Morrisound.  Go figure.  This is not an obscure gem by any means, but to a certain extent I found it more enjoyable than the MA and CC material Messrs. Tucker and O'Brien played on.

The liner notes mention that this reissue was originally inspired by Darragh O'Leary of Invictus Prod., yet unfortunately this came out on Hammerheart, who gave it one of the most generic layouts possible.  This was obviously cranked out to turn a quick buck and wring the most out of minimal design effort.  There's at least one earlier Ceremony demo too, so I would have rather waited for a more comprehensive discography CD, as any label could have done a better job both presentation and content-wise.  But hey, this cost me 99 cents, and it's certainly worth that.

Machine - What Are You Looking At? (2000)

No, nobody lopped off part of the booklet in a fit of rage.  Not only does this come in a red jewel case, but for whatever perplexing reason, this was put out with one of those stupid undersized booklets that looks like it's missing an inch-wide strip from the right side.  The only similar CD I can think of off the top of my head is Jane Jensen's Comic Book Whore--yes, I know this purely from digging through clearance CDs for so long--where it serves as an element crucial to the layout.  There's no such excuse here.

What's most interesting about Machine is that they were the only new signee to the resurrected New Renaissance Records, and as far as I know the only new (at the time) recording the label put out other than some Hellion stuff and the bonus tracks on the Medieval reissue.

Overall, the band fit into the modern thrash category well enough, but the vocal style and the punkish tempo of the majority of the songs make much of the album crossover.  Speed is definitely an asset--unfortunately when they slow things down (see the beginning of "Saw is Family"), they just become generic, groovy "jump" thrash.  There's also a cover of Joan Osbourne's "One of Us."  Shortly into it the band just adapt it to their regular crossover style, but that kills a lot of the novelty and humor I presume the band were going for by covering it.  It becomes unrecognizable save for the lyrics of the chorus.

They also succumb to a fatal flaw often found in grindcore and gore metal--including samples and intros that are more interesting than the music itself!  "I Wish My Chick was Dead" (cool title!) has audio of a distraught chick leaving an answering machine message...And indeed, after hearing it, I find myself wishing she was dead too.  "Necronomicon" is indexed as a 26+ minute track, the majority of which is audio from a porno.  Sorry, but there are few bands out there that can compete with a sultry plea of "Stovepipe me, mister!"
This isn't all that bad, and I can't complain because I got it cheaply, but let's face it--had there not been some hair band signings like Tuff Luck and Pretty Vacant, this would be my least favorite New Renaissance release.

I should also note that the band changed their name to 8mm Overdose and this may have been re-released as the Harder Than Hardcore album.  Except for the Joan Osbourne cover (there's another track in its place) and (I think) the hidden stuff/porn audio after "Necronomicon," the tracklist is the same and they reuse the cover photo, leading me to believe it's probably the same recording. 

I found Jesus

...In the bargain bin.  Well, not really, but I do find a lot of white metal CDs in there, which is close enough.  Keep in mind I didn't get all of these at once (in fact some of them were purchased several years ago), but they were all bargain bin finds languishing in the to-be-organized-on-the-shelves-later pile, so they all get a combined writeup.

Barren Cross - Hotter Than Hell! Live (original Medusa press) - $2.00
Live album from the end of the Atomic Arena tour with lots of positive, feel-good stage banter.  Of course, one can't bring up Barren Cross without mentioning Mike Lee's vocals, whose singing tone is probably as close to Bruce Dickinson as humanly possible.  Never found their music to be overly Maiden-inspired, though.  The guy introducing the band at the beginning is Pastor Bob Beeman of Sanctuary ministry.

Believer - Sanity Obscure (R.E.X. press) - $2.00
Believer - Dimensions (R.E.X. press) - $2.00
I can't remember where I got the notion from, but I remember before hearing them, I had the idea that the 2nd/3rd Believer albums were technical death metal rather than technical thrash.  My first exposure to Believer was the Roadrunner At Death's Door compilation, so I don't know if that colored my perception (though the song there was from the 1st album).  Okay albums, but they don't pique my interest as much as Extraction from Mortality.

Bloodgood - Rock Theater: Shakin' the World - $2.00
This is just a newer cheapo version of the 1990 Bloodgood Live Volume Two: Shakin' the World disc (ironically, I saw Frontline has reissued Shakin' the World and the first live volume with their original live shot covers recently).  Not sure if the other versions of the discs have them (I'm doubtful), but there are minigaps between tracks here that really kill the live atmosphere.  I like a majority of the material on the first two Bloodgood albums when they were at their heaviest, but I'm not enough of a fan to get really excited over a live album.  I will say that it's a decent mix of stuff from their first 4 albums, with only one song from their more lightweight 3rd album--although even some of their earliest stuff has a bit of a commercial side. 

Bride - Kinetic Faith - $1.00
Unfortunately, this is the band's first non-metal full-length.  Bluesy hard rock here with lots of Guns N' Roses, Bon Jovi, and Aerosmith influence.  They do the style well enough, but that doesn't help me, does it?  On the plus side, the logo is kinda cool--wish they had used it for their earlier releases, particularly since the first two albums don't have real logos...

Deliverance - Learn - $3.00
With the abundance of flannel and the graffiti font of the album title, I was half-expecting Suicidal Tendencies emulation.  The actual music is a bit of a surprise, as the speed of their earliest thrash releases is gone and they've gotten quite progressive.  Imagine the poor man's version of post-The Warning era Queensrÿche, but with crunchy guitars that beef it up and make it more substantial.  I'm neutral about this album--I initially feared this would be in the trendy '90s aggro/jump post-thrash vein, and thankfully it's not.  The vocals are clean and the progressive nature of the music doesn't allow for start/stop riffage.  But it doesn't really excite me either.  The one exception is "Desperate Cries" (yes, the thrashiest song, no surprise there!) which has a main riff that is pleasingly reminiscent of the chorus part of "For Whom the Bell Tolls."

Die  Happy - Intense Live Series Vol. 4 - $1.00
You probably know the story.  After Once Dead, Vengeance Rising dissolved, and Roger Martinez ultimately put out two more Vengeance Rising albums with a new lineup.  While not anywhere in the Human Sacrifice league, they were still decent thrash releases.  The other original Vengeance Rising members went on to...this.  A sound full of grooviness and blues influence (the only straightforward thrasher they did was a reworked Vengeance Rising song--go figure).  As much as I dislike them, Die Happy's 2 studio albums had some semblance of metal.  This, a recording of a mellow jam session, does not.  I realize this is just a little live-in-the-studio EP, but it's pretty frightening when, comparatively speaking, one of the heaviest songs is a Petra cover.

Gnashing of Teeth - self-titled - $1.00 or $2.00 (don't remember)
Being groovy metalcore all of the time would be bad enough, but the band decide to throw in lots of  nu-metal (or should I say no-metal) sections and breakdowns.  Yuck.  Sadly, this is another case of wasted potential, as after a atmospheric intro with clean guitar and female vocals, "Pyro" starts out like it's going to be full-on death metal.  Then the lame vocals begin and their usual style rears its ugly head.  It's especially maddening as there are some good growling vox that are used sparingly--in that one song they showed they had the elements to be a generic--if not decent--death metal band.

Living Sacrifice - Conceived in Fire - $1.00
Living Sacrifice - The Hammering Process - $1.00
I knew these guys had changed drastically over the years, so these didn't come as a surprise.  Both albums are metalcore, with no traces of the band's earlier sound.

Slamcat - El Gato De La Slam - $1.00
Groove metal.  I'd like to think I'm not the type of person who would buy a CD that has a glow-in-the-dark cat with a rockabilly haircut on the cover without good reason.  I can't remember if I saw this, looked it up online, and then purchased it, or just bought it outright because it didn't look mainstream and I needed to buy 4 dollar bin discs to get a free one.  Nothing I needed to hear here, although the uptempo "S.S.C." ("Sunday School Cool."  Yes, really.) is a fun little ditty that deviates from the band's normal formula.

Various - East Coast Metal - $2.00
One of several white metal compilations put out by Regency, from 1988. As far as I know none of the tracks were from regular albums and were all either demo tracks or exclusive recordings (aside from the Believer track, I'm unaware if any of them were later put on reissues).
Apostle - "The Sword" - Best song here.  Galloping traditional metal. 
Rage of Angels - "Reason to Rock" - Two of these guys went on to Steelheart, and it quickly becomes apparent that wouldn't have been a huge musical stretch for them.  Heavier than typical hair bands, though--maybe comparable to Skid Row's heaviest stuff. 
Arsenal - "Message of Love," "Stand Strong" - Same Florida band that later released Armored Choir.  Mid-paced, female-fronted, and reeking of commerciality.  The chick vocals are mostly clean, but she gets gruffer to emphasize certain lyrics (however, Betsy Bitch she is not).  There was a glimmer of potential, but they waited to show it--at the end of "Stand Strong" the tempo speeds up and there's some great shredding, but by then it's too late.
The Lead - "Tunnel Vision" - Thrashy crossover with an unexpected yet tasteful instrumental passage near the end.  Goofy, semi-snotty female talk-singing vocals, though.  She yells "Hey you" in the lyrics a couple of times, and I always expect there to be a "guys!" tacked on the end ala The Electric Company opening.
Taker - "Living By Faith," "Yesterday, Today and Forever" - "Living By Faith" is more galloping metal with helium-infused vocals and gang choruses.  Nicely done.  "Yesterday..." is a relatively uninteresting synth-laden ballad that sounds like an entirely different band!
Second Chance - "(Liberation from) The Blazing Wasteland" -  Pre-Armageddon.  A bit like early Savatage/Metal Church, although the the guitar/drum tone brings to mind Screaming/Defenders era Priest.  The vocalist's normal singing voice even sounds quite a bit like John Oliva--he throws in some shamelessly over-the-top grunting and yelping, though it just can't compare to the fanastically OTT shrieks at the end of "Sirens."
Believer - "The Chosen" - Not bad by any means, but lacks the bite of the debut.