Skapegoat - Skapegoat (2004)

Cost: $2.00

 

Somewhat rockish groove metal--the sound is in the ballpark of what you'd imagine based on the back cover bandpic. There are a couple instances where they seem to be going for more of a Godsmack style sound. Main vocals are actually less aggro than I was expecting, and just somewhat gruff, maybe approaching Hetfield style. The secondary vocals are ultra forced, reminding me somewhat of Oderus from Gwar, and they're even sillier when they have nu- rap inflection like in "Killswitch."

A couple sections have a generic Metallica-esque sort of thrashiness to them (particularly considering the vocals), and I'm sure the guitarists have heard and maybe even consider themselves fans of most of the classic mainstream metal bands. Still, I don't think any of this reflects in the music enough to interest most thrash or traditional metal maniacs. And even though I'm not a big proponent of the style anyway, the groove metal stuff on here doesn't seem particularly hard-hitting or inspired for the genre.  Perhaps this was something more commercially viable around the time it was released, but I'm not quite sure who would gravitate towards it nowadays.

Venom Inc. - Avé

 

Cost: $2.00

 

Was a nice surprise to find this in the bargain bin, although I was a little bummed out when I saw the barcode has been marked out. Initially I was kind of meh about it. The production is, expectedly, modern, and there is a lot of modernity and grooviness to the music (which I'd say Cronos' Venom also suffers from as well). Even during the Calm... era or the more straight up thrashiness of the Demolition Man era or even the early classic trio reunion stuff in the mid/late '90s, I'd argue they retained more of a uniqueness even though they were integrating far more contemporary influences than on their early trailblazing stuff. Also, it's not all the time, and I don't expect him to sound exactly like on Prime Evil, but there are several points where I'd be hard-pressed to identify the vocals as Demolition Man's.

All that said, after the fast intro riff to "Time to Die" the album picked up quite a bit for me, and the songwriting on the second half seems to be a bit more interesting, if not stronger in quality. In general I feel the faster songs on here are the best ones, particularly "Time to Die" and "Black N' Roll." So overall, far from terrible, yet not that great--I'm not even sure this is much of a truly positive step in continuing any of the band's legacies (I'd personally prefer to hear them doing old songs live and limiting new output to particularly inspired material). Still, enough solid material to meet my expectations, so a good find.

Slayer - Show No Mercy (1993 reissue)

 

Cost: $2.00 

 

Not going to bother with needless musical descriptions here. Absolute CLASSIC--one of the greatest metal albums ever. This is actually the first time I've ever had the album on CD by itself, as my OG '80s copy adds Haunting the Chapel as bonustracks, and my later European "Metal Classics" version has "Aggressive Perfector" and "Chemical Warfare" inserted at the end of each side of the album. Also nice to have something a bit more substantial to look at on the back cover, even if it's just a close-up of the swords logo.

Versital - A New Millennium (1999)

 Cost: $2.00

Progressive metal with a lot of cues from '90s Queensrÿche and Fates Warning. It's not a big surprise given the genre and time this came out, but some of the songs lean a bit too much into '90s rock for my taste. "So Long" almost sounds like a grungy/hard alternative Alice in Chains sort of song with distorted vocals. On the other hand, the heavier tracks are almost in power/progressive metal territory, and many of the guitar solos have obvious classic metal influences, so it's perhaps a bit of a shame they didn't keep up the heaviness consistently.

I've just realized when putting this away on the shelf that I already have the band's first self-titled album, but I had zero recollection of how it sounded or where or when I got it (while it seems a bit heavier in terms of overall songwriting, there is also far more emphasis on acoustic guitar passages--even a full on ballad track.  But I think that dynamic also makes it the more interesting album).

Italian Experiences Vol. 2 compilation (1998)

 Cost: $2.00

Obviously as the title suggests, a compilation of Italian bands. Mixed genres and no extreme metal but I believe this is the most metal focused of the three volumes.

1. Deadline - Flight of a Free Man

Solid heavy/power metal with galloping parts. The accent and overenunciation of some words makes the singer sound somewhat Japanese to me.

2. Xteria - Tutto Normale

The initial keyboards make you think this is going to be overly sweet, even pomp rock stuff, although the choruses end up being quite classy prog metal.

3. Fucktotum - Zingara

Rumbly stuff with whispered main vocals that I think was intended to be a sort of avant-garde thrash. It kind of is to a certain extent, but the groovy main riff and aggro backing vox make it just as much groove metal. I had much higher hopes considering the band name.

4. Sisthema - The New Commandements

Groove metal with a slightly industrial edge from the riffs and distorted vocals.

5. Porco Del Reato - Il Mondo Abbandonato

Some sort of modernized stuff, mixing DJ effects/scratching, industrial, groove metal, and hardcore elements.

6. SI.S.M.A. - Breeding Rage

Nu. The accented rap-talking vocals are actually kind of amusing for one listen through and the song vaguely reminds me of Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Give It Away."

7. Arcadia - Tool

Begins and ends with a bouncy groove metal riff, although after about a minute they switch to more Metallica-like thrashing, including a ballady "Sanitarium"/"Nothing Else Matters" part. Also has whispered vocals in certain spots.

8. The Piazza - Dreamlike Vision

Definitely punkish but rather than energetic or spastic, it's very laid back. A mix of punk and '90s alternative rock?

9. Hiroshima Mon Amour - Lontani Da Una Città Di Luce

Some sort of minimalist take on '80s new wave music, but then has somewhat neoclassical-sounding sections.

10. Veil of Maya - Is Your Life

Progressive/power metal with some OK if overzealous shredding and a decent mellow bridge, though the unpolished vocals and poor mix make this seem rather amateurish.

11. Marutied - God Will Kill You

Punk.

12. Frozen Child - Here Comes the Absent

Darkwave/gothic.

13. Anthem - Sweet Moon

Booklet confirms this is the same Anthem that was pre-Ivory and put out some power metal demos. However, this quirky instrumental with some speedy shredding is definitely more like some sort of progressive metal. Not terrible but probably not the most flattering track for a compilation with only one song by them.

14. Clench - I Hate the World

Not as angsty as you would expect from the title. Intially I was just going to call this some kind of slow groove metal, although if you look past the vocals, there are some stoner rock/alternative and even some Sabbathy sensibilities here too. Still doesn't help that much.

15. Nomad Barbie - Special K

Some electronic/industrial stuff, might have been somewhat catchy without the spoken vocals.

16. Daimones - The Sword of Shannara

By now I was thinking Deadline wouldn't have any real competition on this comp., and then this came up.  Galloping riffage segues into speed/power metal, maybe a bit reminiscent of late '80s Running Wild.

17. Betelgeuse - Escape from Reality

More speedy power metal. The high vocals are the most charismatic out of any bands on the comp., and the guitarwork seems to be the most proficient. Unfortunately, at a bit under 3 minutes, the song is the second shortest on the comp., and after nearly a minute of epic intro stuff, it feels very rushed and unsatisfying. I will say the twin axework at the end is probably the best part of the entire CD, though.

18. Stomp - Luce Lieve

Some sort of downtuned rock.

Flower Travellin' Band - Satori (2004)

Cost: $2.00

 

This is the naughty Radioactive Records bootleg CD, although I can't complain for the price. My first exposure to Flower Travellin' Band must certainly have been the cover on the first Outrage album. I was also familiar with some of Joe Yamanaka's solo material from Japanese TV shows and movies, but I didn't know about the connections to FTB until much later.

As with a lot of their material, a considerable chunk of this album is psychedelic/prog rock, which while atmospheric and pleasant enough from musical/historical perspectives, is a bit too outside of my scope of interest to make me want to actively seek it out. However, when they decide to get dark and heavy, the spots of doomy proto-metallic brilliance on here are unbeatable. That  riff in Pt. 3 (I originally heard it in the reworked "Hiroshima" where it is equally awesome) absolutely obliterates any other kind of "psychedelic" heavy music I've ever heard. It's exactly what so many stoner, drone, and sludge bands claimed to offer but never delivered on. The riff beginning at about 4 min. into Pt. 4 also gives me strong Priest Rocka Rolla vibes (coincidentally, they also use a harmonica). Great find.

Summer's End - Summer's End (2005)

 

Cost: $2.00

This CD is available for trade.

Not one of my best scores. I was already cautious since the pumpkin-headed character on the back insert and on the inner layout immediately brought to mind AFI and the Disturbed mascot, not exactly the listening experience I was looking for. One of the members had a classic Slayer swords logo shirt on in the band pic, so I felt slightly guilted into buying it. I was realistically expecting something punkish, perhaps even tolerable crossover or grind.

And of course it's just metalcore. The harmonized twin guitar runs are reminiscent (and probably inspired by) Swedish melodic DM, but with the chuggy breakdowns and screamy vox, I'm reminded as much of a mix of As I Lay Dying and Atreyu styles with some Avenged Sevenfold guitarwork sensibilities as I am of a Slaughter of the Soul influenced band. I should also stress that I've seen confused claims online that this mixes horror punk and metalcore. I hear zero discernible horror punk or horror influence in the music itself. Michale Graves contributes lyrics and vocals to a track, and that seems to have been exaggerated to a ridiculous extreme. I welcomed his clean vocals just as something to break up the tedium of the samey tracks, but the music isn't any better for having him involved.

Damn the Machine - Damn the Machine (1993)

 

Cost: $2.00

Not a priority purchase for me even at two bucks, but it was in such good condition for a major label release, I snagged it. It even includes the original questionnaire postcard so you can let A&M Records know about your favorite radio stations and TV shows! 

Quite mellow '90s prog metal with a certain Chris Poland on guitars. Nothing offensive to note here and it's quite accessible in a positive way, and avoids being too self-indulgently quirky or complex. I suppose the downside is that it's less immediately interesting and metallic than something like '90s Fates Warning or Gar Samuelson's Fatal Opera. It was fine to have it on in the background while doing menial home office stuff, but time will tell if I'm inclined to revisit it at all.

Hate - Intense (1997)

Cost: $1.00

 

I'd like to think that bargain bin diving for so many years has given me a keen intuition based on subtle visual cues when browing through lots of inexpensive CDs. But it's largely a moot point. Because they're all so cheap, I pick up discs I highly suspect will be crap anyway just to be on the safe side. I have to pat myself on the back for this one, since I knew it wasn't going to be just plain death metal as Metal Archives claimed.

I was right, but rather than the groove metal I was expecting, I was surprised to find out it's actually a mix of both (Brutal groove metal?  Groovy death metal?). Let's not pretend I'm particularly interested in a lot of the groovy and chuggy riffs here, but the guitar tone is nice and deathy, and the main vocals are mostly deathlike growls, although there is some aggro stuff.  So the groove metal element I typically find most offensive is largely toned down here, and with the death metal riffage and influences here, I can tolerate it.

Shallow Grave - The Fields (2009)

Cost: $1.00

This CD is available for trade.

 

Low expectations going in on this one.  I was expecting deathcore based on the logo and songtitles, and in hindsight, that may have been preferable... The band pic is very unflattering, with the members decked out in odd costuming (such as spiked respirator style masks) more appropriate for an industrial/cyber black metal/cybergoth group. Sadly, this mixes all of the worst heavy music trends of the last 30 years, primarily nu-metal and chugging -core, with groove metal style aggro vocals. Not something I'd consider to be metal and not of much interest to me.  The last track is a minimalist ballad with flamenco-style guitar playing, and I liked it the most just for giving me a break from the toughguy vocals and bouncy rap stuff.

Soul Descenders - Destruction for Tomorrow (2007)

 

Cost: $2.00

The cover immediately gave me flashbacks of drawing simple cityscapes as part of a linear perspective assignment in high school art class (vanishing points, anyone?). While I support the concept of the hastily-sketched city getting nuked, the cloud looks more like a tree.  It's all just extremely amateurish, like art that should be on a demo CD-R limited to 25 copies.  I felt a little better after seeing the Motörhead and Slayer shirts in the band pics, but unfortunately in some ways the cover is very fitting.

This is thrash that's neither particularly classic sounding, and nor is it terribly modern sounding (thankfully). There's some stylistic variety here, with some parts having quite punky speed and others being somewhat groovy, but the songs themselves aren't terribly memorable.  Mostly it seems like an unfocused take on various tropes taken from AJFA/Black Album-era Metallica--thrashier sections are used to bridge slower, groovier sections that I wouldn't really call pure thrash themselves, and two successive tracks have acoustic intros that are very evocative of "One" or "Nothing Else Matters."

What further brings this down are the vocals--the band are young and unfortunately it really shows in the singing. The clean vox verge on whiny and sound like something that would much better fit a pop-punk or emo band. The only popular comparison I can really think to draw is Gerard Way, although I was shocked that some of the vocal patterns in "Foul Mouth" reminded me of the NWOBHM band A-II-Z. I suppose the guy realized his singing was kind of wimpy and lacking in aggression, as there are some horrible attempts at forced aggro vocals which are even worse. It's no wonder my favorite track on this album is the instrumental. 

Despite the hokey cover, lyrics, and vocals, the musicianship is pretty competent even if it's not always to my taste, although I don't feel it's used for anything great. Based on them being able to scrape together a few decent thrash riffs and due to the scarcity of the disc, I'll say this is a decent find for the price. But it's definitely more like school battle of the bands metal than serious thrash.

BrainDead - Behind the Mask of Sanity (2012)

Cost: $1.00

The bandname and album title on the spine piqued my interest on the shelf, but the style of the outer packaging and the odd capitalization of the tracklist made me question if this was metal (I'll admit I totally missed the "NEW YORK METAL" on the inside of the back insert, although that would probably make me suspect some modernized -core crap).  I felt far more confident after looking it up online, so I snagged it, and here we are.

Initially I was pleasantly surprised since the disc is actual death metal, with a large chunk of the tracks having some degree of black metal influence in the riffage as well. There are also some extra elements and flourishes here and there like samples and use of piano/keyboards. It's nothing intrusive but it feels like they were added as monotony distractors rather than integrated into the music in a meaningful way. 2 of the interlude tracks and some more shreddy moments may point towards more progressive DM aspirations, but they're never really built upon. On the plus side, I found the faster, thrashier stuff like "5 Dimensional Apprehension" and "A Warm Embrace" to be pretty enjoyable. Still, several songs and the entire CD itself itself (72 min.) are just way too long for what's presented here. If this had been pared down to a mini-CD with 3 or 4 of the better tracks, I could more enthusiastically recommend it as being pretty generic but enjoyable. At this length it's a pretty tough slog through the entire thing without getting ear fatigue. A little disappointing in that aspect but overall an OK find for a buck.

Cannibal Corpse, Death, Morbid Angel CDs - Canadian pressings

Found these three death metal CDs, all Canadian pressings, for $2 each.  Nothing I haven't heard already but the price was right.

Cannibal Corpse - Gallery of Suicide

Not a huge Cannibal fan to begin with, and even then, I'd say I greatly prefer the Barnes era. This is one of the best Corpsegrinder albums though, and probably my overall personal favorite out of his era of the band.

 

Death - Individual Thought Patterns

I recently picked up some other later Death CDs too, but since they aren't Canadian pressings and I'm certainly not in any hurry to listen to The Sound of Perseverance, I'll save those for a future post. I very rarely listen to Death at all beyond the Leprosy era, and when I do, it's either live stuff or occasionally putting on Spiritual Healing to remind myself that I'm really not into it that much.  This era of Death isn't really my thing and does nothing to change my stance, although I will admit the fast section in "Jealousy" definitely reminds me of the Leprosy-era material.  Just a shame it's such a short segment of the song.

Morbid Angel - Covenant

While none of these Canadian versions are that significantly different from other presses, this one is immediately identifiable as Canadian since it has a bilingual explicit lyrics notice on the cover. I completely forgot about the re-recorded version of "Angel of Disease" on here, and it definitely stands out (positively) compared to the other songs on here. I favor the older material of course, but still solid stuff.

Dio - Holy Diver

Cost: $2.00

Wonderful to find a nice clean copy of Holy Diver. I originally bought the CD years ago for a regular used disc price, but the booklet and disc were pretty beat up, so I ended up trading away that copy when I got the 2005 reissue with the bonus audio interview.  Of course, now there are a couple of deluxe versions with extra stuff, but still a very nice find.

"Caught in the Middle" is ok once it gets going, but "Stand Up and Shout," "Rainbow in the Dark," and the title track are such absolute classics I feel they make the rest of the album a bit underwhelming.  Never particularly cared for "Invisible" or "Don't Talk to Strangers" at all.