How’s it going, Butcher Crew?! Today I have collected for you three albums that are heavy on my rotation lately. All three records were released during 2020, and all three were released by Unique Leader Records. Watch these three bands. And enjoy the madness of these three albums that made The Saw’s Choice Cuts. They will surely pound you into dust!
Where Only Gods May Tread (2020, Unique Leader Records) is the 5th studio album from the British Brutal Death Metal band, Ingested. Now, I’m here to tell you, this band delivers the beat-downs in quick order! Jason Evans utilizes many different forms and types of vocal techniques – most notably, screams and gutterals in a more DeathCore fashion. In fact, IMO, Sam Yates and Sean Hines (guitars), Lyn Jeffs (drums), and Brad Fuller (bass) masterfully deliver the beatings in a sort of Brutal DeathCore/Technical Death Metal assault that will leave you gasping for air. Formed in 2006, Ingested have some miles on their carcasses! As an example of their crushing abilities, they’ve toured with the likes of Black Dahlia Murder, Carnifex, 3 Inches of Blood, Aborted, Disentomb, Enterprise Earth, I Declare War, Kublai Khan, Despised Icon, and Cryptopsy to name a few.
Favorite Songs: Follow the Deceiver; The Burden of Our Failures; Leap of the Faithless
Rating: 9/10! This one will beat your brains in, for a long time!
Revive The Throne (2020, Unique Leader Records) is the 7th full length album from the German GrindCore/Brutal Death Metal band, Stillbirth. This band is as old as me, forming in 1999! Now, here is what I like about these butchers, they strongly incorporate the CORE (as in HardCore) aspect into their efforts. With multiple tempo changes, mid-riff (the GrindCore aspect), and crushing, gurgling gutterals, this record will give you whiplash. Lukas Swiaczney is the vicious vocal master, Dominik Konig also gutterals, and plays bass, Martin Grupe is banging, smoothly and quickly on drums, Jens Strack and Simon Sturmlinger slay the blistering dual guitars, and Lukas Kaminski is like a steam roller on the 2nd bass. Double gutterals and double bass players?! You know the beatings are life threatening!
Favorite Songs: Degraded to Mutilation; Panem et Circenses; Dethrone the King
Rating: 8/10! Skull splitting frenzy!!
Nuklearth is the newest album (2020, Unique Leader Records) by the German band, Cytotoxin. Right from the start, I’ve got to say that this band is like the WhiteChapel of Technical/Brutal Death Metal (and you already know that I love some WhiteChapel!). But this record… what an incredible piece of work we have, here! The arrangement, style, and structure of the powerful music by Fonzo and Jason (guitars), Stocki (drums) and Vitalis (bass) is nothing but pure, “Chernobyl Death Metal” (as Cytotoxin, themselves, refer it), and Grimo’s vocal delivery is nearly perfect – brutal gutterals and growls (reminding me of Phil!). Cytotoxin formed in 2010 and Nuklearth is their fourth full length album.
Favorite Songs: Soul Harvester; Coast of Lies; Nuklearth
Rating: 10/10!! This record will bang for MANY years to come!!
The weather is finally getting warmer here in NC, and all I want to do is sit on my porch with a nice book, a cup of tea, and some springy tunes. It’s hard to believe that daylight saving time is right around the corner! In honor of the longer, warmer days ahead, I’ve decided to put together a playlist filled with my favorite springtime songs. These tracks give me sitting-in-a-garden-feeling-the-sun-on-my-skin type vibes and I hope they do the same for you!
1. Peach Fuzz – Tyler, the Creator
One of my favorite singles from Tyler, this song just oozes sunny, spring vibes. Even just the title makes me want to go fruit picking!
2. Not Fade Away/Goin’ Down the Road Feeling Bad – The Grateful Dead
The Dead are the masters of all things jammy goodness, and this track is no exception. I love the beachy, lovestruck sound to this song.
3. Run to the Sun – N.E.R.D
The title “Run to the Sun” says it all. Pharrell’s signature funky style sticks out especially on this track from the N.E.R.D trio.
4. Tangerine – Led Zeppelin
“Tangerine” is actually the song I named my show after! I love the gentleness of it, and it’s one of my all-time favorite Zeppelin songs.
5. The Girl From Ipanema – Stan Getz & João Gilberto
The idea of starting off Spring without some Bossa Nova playing in the background is despicable. This Brazilian classic will for sure remind you of sunny days.
6. One Rainy Wish – The Jimi Hendrix Experience
One of Jimi Hendrix’s softer songs, this psychedelic ballad is filled with lyrics that seem to worship mother nature herself.
7. Hit Me Like That Snare – alt-J & Rejjie Snow
This is one of those songs that I just wish were longer. The bridge at 0:53 is absolutely fantastic.
8. Raspberry Jam – Allah-Las
Allah-Las are arguably the kings of modern surf rock. This song, off the soundtrack of “Self Discovery For Social Survival” is a great testament to that.
9. Sparks – The Who
Even though this track is just an instrumental, the upbeat, soft strumming reminds me of sunshiny afternoons.
10. Dancing Barefoot – Patti Smith Group
Patti Smith is an absolute icon. Period. “Dancing Barefoot” is one of her more pop-leaning songs, but it reminds me of spinning around in the middle of a bright, grassy field!
11. An Idea – IAMNOBODI
What a great little random track! Featuring Emmavie, Zacari, and Josh J., this song is the pinnacle of R&B perfection.
12. Ivy – Frank Ocean
It would be injustice not to include at least one Frank song on this playlist. Though it’s a bit melancholy, for some reason this track reminds me of the shift from Winter to Spring.
Flatbush Zombies, stylized Flatbush ZOMBiES, are a hip hop group active since 2010. They first became noticed within the East Coast rap scene in the 2010s with the release of multiple mixtapes; since then they have produced three albums. Their most recent work is their 2020 EP, “now, more than ever,” and new single “Afterlife,” which has quickly become a fan favorite. Members Meechy Darko, Zombie Juice and Erick Arc Elliott met in grade school and have been great friends and co-performers since.
Flatbush Zombies have also produced interesting media. Their NPR Tiny Desk Concert and YouTube music videos are very entertaining. The group continues to create music together and build upon their previous discography with new and exciting styles.
I recommend checking out their most recent EP, “now, more than ever,” which they created in response to the Black Lives Matter protests in the summer of 2020. Their song “Big Shrimp” from their first album is another favorite of mine. Give Flatbush Zombies a listen and let us know what you think.
The second studio album from All That Remains, This Darkened Heart, was released on March 23, 2004 (Prosthetic / Razor & Tie). The band’s debut record, Behind Silence and Solitude, as well as its third release, The Fall of Ideals, are very good records in their own rights; but it is their sophomore release that stands in a category all its own.
So, All That Remains was first listed as a “Heavy Metal” band, with This Darkened Heart listed in the genre of “Melodic Death Metal.” Later, the band would come to be known as one of the first bands of an evolving sub-genre known as Metal Core, while the vocal style of This Darkened Heart is a perfect example of very early “Death Core;” though, the music (and its composition) is very much Heavy Metal, leaning toward Death Metal. Today, this combination of styles would be considered a band’s way of breaking out of the various “Core” genres. But in 2004, this is the expression of a band forging an entirely new brand of Metal.
Philip Labonte (Shadows Fall) is the founder and lead vocalist of All That Remains. He is one of the visionaries of the, then, forming new genre of Metal. His first band (in the mid-90s) was a Death Metal band called Perpetual Doom, where he also played guitar. He left the band to join Shadows Fall as the lead vocalist, recording the band’s debut album, Somber Eyes to the Sky, in ’97. He left Shadows Fall the following year due to “musical differences,” and formed All That Remains. In 2010 Labonte filled in as the touring vocalist for Killswitch Engage. And in 2016 he filled in as lead vocalist for Five Finger Death Punch. Labonte had a great band with him for This Darkened Heart with Mike Martin and Oli Herbert on guitars, Matt Deis on bass, and Michael Bartlett on drums.
I understand This Darkened Heart to be a bridge between Metal genres. While All That Remains went on to be more Metal Core, this record, with its combination of styles, really helped the logic of the evolution of sub-genres. My dad (The OG), as an Old School Death Metal head, remembers when this record dropped. “Oh, I loved the riffs of the songs, and Philip’s vocals were incredible. But I also recognized that there was something different being developed, here. The structures of the songs were departing from the style of pure Death Metal, while the riffs were very Old School. And the vocals, while delivered with “gravel,” were more melodic, but not like Melodic Death Metal. We knew that something new was happening.”
There are exactly 0 wasted songs on This Darkened Heart. This is truly a great record that still, today, speaks to the struggles and suffering of life lived in community; the darkness of loneliness and the light of friends and loved ones. This record, itself, is a light in that darkness.
Favorite Songs: Focus Shall Not Fail; Tattered on My Sleeve; This Darkened Heart
Rating: 10/10!! A perfect record at the perfect time
I can already tell that I am going to be loving this band. Loving is a slow-wave indie bedroom rock band from Canada. Their music gives off the impression of a lazy sunday, which pockets of sun poking in through the windows as the rain taps against the glass. The band consists of a group of three from Canada, who play sparse, intimate songs.
The band started back in 2015 when David Parry and Jesse and Lucas Henderson, who are brothers, started recording music together. It was initially a long-distance project, since some members of the trio were in Victoria while others were in Toronto. However, their initial success inspired the trio to become a full-time band and set up shop in Victoria.
The music of Loving is like psychedelic folk. It’s calming, relaxing, and uplifting all at once. Loving’s first album is their self-titled debut, which came out back in 2016. My favorite song is “The Not Real Lake,” closely followed by “Bowlly Goes Dancing Drunk Into the Future” and “A Long Slow Little Wave / Citizen, An Activity.” Their second album, “If I Am Only My Thoughts,” came out in 2020. It is a bit more fast-paced and features more acoustic sounds than their debut album. From this I would choose “A Mirror for Two Voices” and “Only She Knows” as my favorites.
You can love, you can leave it, and say you’re nothing without it, but don’t sleep on Loving. Hope you guys enjoy the tunes, -The DJ Formerly Known As Chippypants
For me, 2021 has been about finding music new and old that is good quality and worth listening to. This is evidenced quite clearly by this list being composed of music with release dates that span from 1998 to 2020. Let’s not waste any time and get straight into my February Favorites.
“Let’s Get Out” by Life Without Buildings
Up first, we have “Let’s Get Out,” by Life Without Buildings, an arbitrary but joyous song comprised of slightly nonsensical lyrics. Despite this, it is so addicting to listen to, as the words and phrases seem to have no real meaning behind them, causing them all to flow into each other beautifully. The lead singer of the band, Sue Tompkins, talk-sings amongst an addicting guitar melody engineered by Robert Johnston, upbeat percussion headed by Will Bradley, and a groovy bass-line by Chris Evans (not to be confused with the famous Marvel actor Chris Evans). This song feels like sunny days in January, and I can’t help but smile as I sing along.
“When It Hurts so Bad” by Ms. Lauryn Hill
This year, I finally listened to the critically acclaimed album, “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill,” which as a whole has been a favorite of mine thus far in 2021. In the hook of this song, Lauryn Hill laments the question “When it hurts so bad, when it hurts so bad / Why’s it feel so good?” Hill displays her stunning vocals throughout this song, especially in the chorus. The outro of the song, like a few others on the album, includes a skit of a teacher asking a classroom full of students what love is. Following that story throughout the album is very fun, and makes it all-the-more cohesive. This track is the ultimate song to sing along to in the shower.
“Tarantula” by Wavves
Despite what the title might make you think, this song is not about arachnids, but rather the perfect angry-for-no-good-reason tune. It simultaneously is an upbeat dance tune, while also having fairly nihilistic lyrics, which is my personal favorite type of song. The chorus loudly asserts “Every morning / Toxic waste / Everything sucks / If you don’t get your way.” Wavves makes great indie-rock tunes and this song is a prime exemplar of that fact.
“Simple Math” by Kid Sistr
Kid Sistr started releasing music last year, and it would be no understatement for me to say that I’m obsessed. “Simple Math,” is a beautiful indie-rock ballad about the hard cycle of getting over a relationship. The chorus, which I love to poorly sing along to, goes “I keep falling back on simple math / It’s all I have / Trying to subtract you / Coming back to simple math.” The intricate lyrics, clean vocals, and slow and somewhat haunting instrumentation comes to a head at the end of the song, where the lead singer belts out the last couple of lines. Kid Sistr is an excellent band, and I especially keep coming back to this song.
“The Breeze” by Dr. Dog
“The Breeze” is a folkier song from Dr. Dog, a band that tends to lean more toward the genre of rock. This track feels like a winter in the Midwest in a comforting way that I can’t put my finger on quite completely. The folky nature of the song feels like a mixture of Fleet Foxes and “Norwegian Wood” by the Beatles. I can’t speak high enough praises of this song and the pure nostalgia it brings to me, despite only listening to it for the first time a few weeks ago. The lyrics are poetic in nature, my favorite section being the first chorus, which goes “Do you feel like you’re stuck in time? / Forever waiting on that line / If nothing ever moves / Put that needle to the groove / And sing.”
Leaf Hound was one of those bands that slipped through the cracks in the early 1970s but are now receiving the recognition they deserve. After only one album, they went on the do other things, most notably their singer, Peter French, who joined Atomic Rooster in 1971. But what an album it was! “Growers of the Mushroom” has all the elements of British blues and proto-metal: blistering riffs, raspy vocals, and a twinge of psychedelia. Though Leaf Hound was not as influential as similar bands from the time, like Black Sabbath and Deep Purple, one can imagine the impact they could’ve had if they continued.
One of their most outstanding accomplishments was the hit song “Freelance Fiend.” Wow! What an incredible track. Though Peter French is heralded for his signature ’70s-esc screeches, what really stands out to me is the dance between the two guitarists, Mick Halls and Derek Brooks. “Hipshaker” is another stand-out track.
In 2007, Leaf Hound spontaneously reunited to release one more album, this time with a completely new lineup. Peter French reinstated himself as lead singer, but the rest of the band included Tom Smith on guitar, Pete Herbert on bass, and Dominic French on drums. Including a collection of new tracks, remastered oldies, and songs from Atomic Rooster, the album was a success. However, “Growers of Mushroom” became somewhat of an artifact among record collectors, sometimes selling for over $4,000.
It’s no doubt their popularity has soared exponentially since their disbandment, going on to inspire artists like Tame Impala and Wolfmother. Leaf Hound is definetely worth taking a listen to!
Members: Peter French (vocals), Mick Halls (guitar), Derek Brooks (guitar), Stuart Brooks (bass), Keith George-Young (drums)
Discography: Growers of Mushroom (1971), Unleashed (2007)
Best Songs: Freelance Fiend, Drowned My Life in Fear, Stray, Hipshaker, Too Many Rock ‘N’ Roll Times
