Tons-O-Tunes

A Brutal Christmas - The Season in Chaos

2009-12-02T19:52:00.000-08:00

Some seasonal uploads coming your way from some random stuff on my computer. Some of it is ridiculous. Some of it is not half bad. Some of it is amazingly entertaining. Just check it out.

Track List:

01. Arche - Angels We Have Heard On High

02. Kekal - God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen

03. Royal Anguish - Mary Did You Know

04. Frank's Enemy - Coventry Carol

05. Frost Like Ashes - Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence (O Come Emmanuel)

06. Tortured Conscience - The Little Drummer Boy

07. Hearken - O Come All Ye Faithful

08. Death Requisite - Child Messiah

09. EverSINcEve - O Holy Night

10. Faithbomb - God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen

11. Pure Defiance - Joy To The World

Yesterday's Children - Self Titled (1969)

2009-11-29T17:40:00.000-08:00

This is definitely a 60's rock long lost gem. Their only album (besides a single that was released), Yesterday's Children played a quality mix of psychedelia and garage rock. Excellent riffs and lead guitar with a great vocalist. These guys are in the same realm as Blue Cheer and other similar bands of the time.

It's a shame that bands this good never stuck around to create more music. Unfortunately it happens more often than not.

Track list

01. Paranoia

02. Sad Born Loser

03. What of I

04. She's Easy

05. Sailing

06. Providence Bummer

07. Evil Woman

08. Yesterday's Moon

The Black Angels - Directions to See a Ghost

2009-11-29T14:39:00.000-08:00

I have no idea where to even begin in classifying this group. I hear psychedelic influences, Beatles influences, stoner influences, indie influences, rock and dessert...and I'm not exactly sure where they fit in. You definitely cannot pigeon hole this band into any one category.

Interestingly enough, it all fits spectacularly well together. The Black Angels have created an album which I can see myself spinning rather often. They do have other material out that I haven't gotten to hear yet, but if it's anything like "Directions to See a Ghost", I know I'll dig it.

This is a definite recommendation to any psychedelic and stoner fans. Spin this record and just chill out in its ambiance.

Track listing:

01. You On The Run

02. Doves

03. Science Killer

04. Mission District

05. 18 Years

06. Deer-Ree-Shee

07. Never/Ever

08. Vikings

09. You In Color

10. The Return

11. Snake in the Grass

Honkeyfinger - Invocation Of The Demon Other

2009-11-29T14:11:00.000-08:00

When I read the description of this album, a one-man bass drum stomping, harmonica blowing, lapsteel playing Blues assault, I knew I'd like it. I didn't expect it to be quite as intense as it is. This isn't your Howlin' Wolf type of blues. This is Blues after it dropped acid and ate a bag of shrooms.

I never imagined so much energy could come out of one man and a whole band's worth of instruments. Honkeyfinger is an excellent display of lapsteel guitar and blues created with an interesting and amazing twist. The kind of shit you'd find playing in some hole-in-the-wall dive in Alabama. No frills and no bullshit. Fuzzed out, intense vocals and full of energy. Just check it out. Everyone. There's no reason not to.

Track list:

01. HonknSkronkn

02. Got This Rage

03. Margarine Man

04. Jitterbone Boogie

05. Trouble

06. Parchman Farm

07. Cobra

08. True Believers

09. Farmer George

10. Fine Thing

11. Margarine Man (Part 2)

12. Burning Skull Blues

13. Boss Honk

14. Running On Empty

15. Subaquatic Homesick Blues

DL (New Link. Some problems were reported with the last one. 12/01)

Graveyard - Self Titled

2009-11-28T18:17:00.000-08:00

Either someone back in the 70's figured out time travel and sent Graveyard to the future to drop this amazing album, or this group of rockers from Sweden really know how to create some superb blues-influenced, Sabbath influenced rock. Yes, they are very influenced by Black Sabbath, but they don't come off as a Sabbath clone.

These guys take the bluesy sounds of proto-metal, 70's rock, 60's psychedelic sounds and meld them together to create something extremely special in a time where most rock outfits are completely forgetting where their roots lie.

When you listen to this, you probably wont believe that Graveyard only came to be in 2006 in Gothenburg. Fans of Sabbath, psychedelic and traditional doom will really enjoy this, although I think everyone should check this out.

Track list:

01. As The Years Pass By, The Hours Bend

02. Blue Soul

03. Don't Take Us for Fools

04. Evil Ways

05. Lost in Confusion

06. Right is Wrong

07. Satan's Finest

08. Submarine Blues

09. Thin Line

Wicked Lady - The Axeman Cometh

2009-11-28T16:52:00.000-08:00

Wicked Lady is for those who love fuzz, psychedelic and traditional doom. Proto-metal and, in my opinion, definitely a doom forerunner. Listen to "War Cloud" and "Life and Death" if you have any doubts to that.

I would rank this right up there with Pagan Altar. Not that Wicked Lady is going to take over Pagan Altar's place in my musical loving heart, but this album is crammed full of amazing riffs and heavy goodness. "The Axeman Cometh" definitely showcases the heavy aspect of this band.

For any fans of traditional doom metal in the vein of Pagan Altar and stuff like Witchcraft, definitely check this out. Lovers of fuzz and psychedelic rock would eat this up as well.

Track Listing:

01. Run The Night

02. War Cloud

03. The Axeman Cometh

04. Life and Death

05. Wicked Lady

06. Out of the Dark

07. Rebel

08. Living on the Edge

Gun - Gunsight

2009-11-28T16:29:00.000-08:00

I found this gem while treasure hunting for some new tunes. This is some straight up, good riffing rock and roll. Almost has a NWOBHM tinge to it while heavily steeped in 60's rock and roll. Not surprising since these guys were around from '68 to '69 and were based out of England.

The album moves from heavy, or what was considered heavy in those days, to light and airy pieces. Even listening to the track "Hobo" I think of the Beatles. This is definitely something that fans of proto-metal, nwobhm and bands like Budgie and Blue Cheer should check out.

Track listing:

01. Head in the Clouds

02. Drown Yourself in the River

03. Angeline

04. Dreams and Screams

05. Situation Vacant

06. Hobo

07. Lady Link, Pt. 1

08. Oh Lady You

09. Lady Link, Pt. 2

10. Long Hair Woman

"Buried Together" - Antrobus/Flying Hat Band split

2009-07-26T16:45:00.000-07:00

In 1973, the Flying Hat Band was signed to Vertigo records and recorded a full length album. The label decided not to release the album and the trio disbanded in '74 after the departure of guitarist Glen Tipton. Yes, the same Glen Tipton in Judas Priest. He left the Flying Hat Band to join up with the rest of the metal gods.

Glen posseses the master tapes to the full length recording, but who knows if they will ever see the light of day. It's a shame, because the four tracks by the FHB on this split are excellent and showcase a much more bluesy side of Tipton's guitar capabilities. These guys rank up there with Deep Purple and even opened for them on one of Deep Purple's tours.

The remaining nine tracks come from prog-rock band Antrobus. I'm not playing Antrobus down at all. These tracks are some quality prog-rock sounds. Fans of King Crimson and earlier prog-rock and psychedelic rock bands will enjoy this stuff.

If for nothing else, at least download this to check out Tipton's work prior to Judas Priest.

Tracklist:

01. Antrobus - Loving You

02. Antrobus - All I Really Need

03. Antrobus - Take Me Back

04. Antrobus - Pavement Artist

05. Antrobus - Straight Jacket

06. Antrobus - Winter

07. Antrobus - Rock Band Blues

08. Antrobus - Gonna Be Free

09. Antrobus - Lightning

10. The Flying Hat Band - Seventh Plain

11. The Flying Hat Band - Reaching For The Stars

12. The Flying Hat Band - Lost Time

13. The Flying Hat Band - Coming of the Lord

DL pt.1 (Antrobus tracks)

DL pt.2 (FHB tracks)

Black Widow - Sacrifice

2009-07-26T09:24:00.001-07:00

Black Widow stands in the same psychedlic, satanic realm as Coven and other early bands bent on pushing the envelope with their blatant occult and satanic influences. Black Widow hold a bit more of a progressive tinge than Coven, however. Lots of organ use and even some flute within the mix. I definitely enjoy the use of the saxaphone use in "In Ancient Days." Gives the that certain Coltrane cool to Satan.

This album is from 1970, four years after the bands formation in '66. Some great stuff if you're a fan of early progressive rock and psychedelic type bands.

Tracklist:

01. In Ancient Days

02. Way to Power

03. Come to the Sabbat

04. Conjuration

05. Seduction

06. Attack of the Demon

07. Sacrifice

Blood Farmers - Blood Farmers

2009-07-26T08:40:00.000-07:00

Heavy, marijuana-laced riffage. Heavily influenced by Sabbath, but definitely not a Sabbath ripoff. Anyone who has enjoyed some of the past stoner-type uploads that I have posted will enjoy this.

There's not much I really want to say, because I just want you people to download this and behold its excellence. Roll a joint and check this shit out.

Tracklist:

01. Albino

02. Bullet in my Head

03. Orgy of the Rats

04. Theme

05. Y.G.B.

06. The Holy Chalice

07. General Urko-I Drink Your Blood

08. Twisted Brain (Part 1)

09. Twisted Brain (Part 2)

10. After the Harvest

Bedemon - Child of Darkness

2009-07-26T07:53:00.000-07:00

Bedemon existed from '73 to '79 (The metal archives claims they are still active, but the lineup isn't really Bedemon) and played the same down and dirty flavor of doom that Pentagram does. Mostly because of the shared members and the fact that Randy Palmer, the main songwriter for Bedemon, also joined Pentagram as a guitarist for about a year. Bobby also does the vocals for the band. So, it is basically Pentagram Jr. But honestly, can you ever get enough of Pentagram?

While this album isn't the best of quality (it is from the original master tapes), it's got some great riffs on it and any fan of Pentagram will enjoy it. Heavy, dirty and fuzzy. Isn't that how everyone likes it?

Tracklist:

01. Child of Darkness

02. Enslaver of Humanity

03. Frozen Fear

04. One-Way Road

05. Serpent Venom

06. Last Call

07. Drive Me to the Grave

08. Into the Grave

09. Skinned

10. Through the Gates of Hell

11. Touch the Sky

12. Child of Darkness II

13. Time Bomb

14. Nighttime Killers

15. Axe to Grind

Seducer - 'Eads Down, See You At The End (1986)

2009-06-23T19:37:00.000-07:00

This is a no-frills, no bullshit, NWOBHM lost gem. A friend of mine asked me to try and find a better copy online since his physical copy is pretty beat. Well, this is the best...let me rephrase that. This is the only copy I found online. Besides the copy he made about three years ago from his physical album.

Anyway, this is classic NWOBHM. A bit on the faster side. Good. Raw. Balls-to-the-wall rocking. Check it out. I'm thinking the first track has a problem with the speed. Maybe it was recorded at a higher speed, or maybe it just sounds like that. The rest of the tracks have no problems.

Tracklist:

After uploading, I realized the songs were mislabeled. The following tracklist contains what the file is labeled as, and then the actual title. I couldn't figure them all out without lyrics in front of me. But, here you are.

01. Hailstorm

02. Storm - The Haunting

03. Liar - Prostitute

04. The Haunting - Die Yer Bastard

05. The Rocker - Arena

06. No Contract

07. Problems - Storm

08. Conditions - Liar

09. Prostitute

10. Die Yer Bastard - The Rocker

11. Arena - No Contract

Morbius - Alienchrist (1995)

2009-06-18T19:03:00.000-07:00

Special request from Lifer members. Death Metal. Good.

Tracklist:

01. Inverted Baptism

02. Ghosts

03. Visitors from Within

04. Worship of Grief

05. Spiritual Darkening

06. Doomcry

07. Channeling the Dead

08. The Cruel Ones

09. Ritualistic Filth

10. Mysteries of the Worm

DL (Fixed Link as of 11/09)

Jucifer - If Thine Enemy Hunger

2009-05-06T15:36:00.000-07:00

Jucifer is one of those bands that people can't classify into any specific genre except heavy. This duo creates heavy, sometimes hypnotizing riffs that are chopped up by moments of clarity and melody.

Fans of sludge or a lot of music on Relapse will enjoy this. A friend of mine said it had reminded him of L7, but I've never listened to them so I wouldn't know. If you enjoy female vocals and heavy riffs, check this out.

01. She Rides the Deep

02. Centralia

03. Lucky Ones Burn

04. Hennin Hardine

05. Antietam

06. My Benefactor

07. Four Suns

08. Pontius of Palia

09. Backslider

10. Luchamos

11. Ludlow

12. The Plastic Museum

13. In a Family

14. Medicated

15. LED

Hennin Hardine Video

Zior - Every Inch A Man

2009-05-05T20:50:00.000-07:00

This is a special request from some friends. Proto metal, heavy and dark riffs. Check it out. You'll like this shit.

01. Entrance of the Devil

02. The Chicago Spine

03. Have You Heard the Wind Speak

04. Time is the Reason

05. She'll Take You Down

06. Dudi Judy

07. Strange Kind of Magic

08. Ride me Baby

09. Evolution

10. Every Inch a Man

11. Cat's Eyes

12. Suspended Animation

13. Angel of the Highway

Lucifer Was - In Anadi's Bower

2009-05-02T17:16:00.000-07:00

I happened across this little gem last summer while I was diving into the 60's and 70's psych rock and proto metal. Since then, it's become one of my most played and enjoyable albums found during the dig.

In Anadi's Bower was released in '72, not long after Black Sabbath's debut. However, this is no Sabbath clone. Although Lucifer Was contains tinges of the Sabbath sound (you'll hear it in Darkness very well), along with a hint of Jethro Tull with the use of the flute, they're more of a prog rock band rather than proto metal or psych band. Which begs to question how I found it during my psych rock and proto metal treasure hunt, but it doesn't really matter.

The title track is amazing and also contains slightly heavier and haunting guitars. The band also employs the use of odd instruments like the Mellotron on the album.

If you're into the early rock and proto metal, you'll enjoy this. It's not as "progy" as most prog rock bands, which I tend to be rather picky about and I know others are too.

Lucifer Was website

Don't call it a comeback...

2009-03-25T10:31:00.000-07:00

Okay, so the title is lame, but I guess what I was trying to say is that I have returned from an extended hiatus. Just remember, kids, don't ever move in with a girlfriend/boyfriend unless you are absolutely, positively and incredibly sure that you want to.

/Lesson for the day.

The internet was non-existant where I was living and I couldn't upload anything at work for obvious reasons, but I have started to pick some new albums to upload to this blog and hope that all of you haven't become tired waiting for new material to pop up on here.

Also, I have received a few questions about the Candlemass album. It's there for a limited time for a limited amount of people. I usually don't even upload anything that well known because a) if you want to download it you can find it yourself and b) the album drops on April 2nd, so you should buy it anyway like I plan to. I just happened to find a source for the album and decided to download it because I couldn't wait. If you really want to hear it, Candlemass has it streaming on their myspace. It's an absolutely amazing album. The post on this blog will only be up until April 2nd when the album is released.

So, if you've enjoyed what has been posted on here so far, stay tuned. I've got a bunch of rare and hard to find stuff coming up.

Candlemass - "Death Magic Doom"

2009-03-24T21:00:00.000-07:00

The new album from Doom masters, Candlemass, has finally arrived. As of right now, I am hosting this for a select group of people. This will be a limited download here on Tons-O-Tunes and only open to a select few. Sorry. You can hear the album streamed from Candlemass's Myspace.

Tracklist:

If I Ever Die - 4:54

Hammer of Doom - 6:16

The Bleeding Baroness - 7:19

Demon of the Deep - 5:22

House of Thousand Voices - 7:49

Dead Angel - 4:05

Clouds of Dementia - 5:38

My Funeral Dreams - 6:05

*The download link has been removed. The album is now available and I encourage anyone who wants to hear it, or who may have had the privledge to hear it already, to go out and buy it. Thank you. More uploads of obscure crap coming soon.

Sons of Otis - "Templeball"

2009-03-22T18:25:00.000-07:00

If you want heavy, this shit is heavy. Heavy and laden with about twenty pounds of marijuana. These guys take stoner doom to a whole new level, in my opinion. Heavy riffs and atmospheric vocals with a tone of Saint Vitus. They even do a Vitus cover, so you know these guys are legit.

The "Windows Jam" is an excellent highlight on an album full of hallucinigenic highlights. *note* Highlights made with many swirling colors and sound. Listening to this album while under the influence of marijuana or any psychadelic drug may induce complete kick-assery. Check it out sober too. It's some good shit.

Tracks:

Mile High - 5:17

Nothing - 5:24

Vitus - 6:38

Windows Jam - 10:35

Super Typhoon - 5:51

Down - 3:19

Mississippi Queen - 2:31

New Mole - 9:11

Steamroller - 3:53

Diesel - 9:19

Myspace

Download

Traditional & Power Metal Mix

2008-08-29T15:07:00.000-07:00

This mix comes from Carl over at the Metal Heads group. Check it out. There's some great stuff on here.

01. Angra - Temple of Hate
02. Astral Doors - Bride of Christ
03. Blind Guardian - And Then There Was Silence
04. Bruce Dickinson - The Magician
05. Cirith Ungol - Atom Smasher
06. Demons and Wizards - Lunar Lament
07. Dragonland - In Perfect Harmony
08. Dream Evil - Children of the Night
09. Firewind - Allegiance
10. Iced Earth - Mystical End
11. Lost Horizon - Welcome Back
12. Manowar - Wheels of Fire
13. Mekong Delta - Epilogue
14. Mystic Prophecy - Dark Side of the Moon
15. Pagan's Mind - Enigmatic Mission
16. Power Quest - Sacred Land
17. Primal Fear - Fear
18. Halford - Betrayal
19. Seventh Avenue - Levy Your Soul From Hate
20. W.A.S.P - I Am One

Download

Summer After All...

2008-08-29T15:04:00.001-07:00

Summer jams, fun times. Courtesy of Albert over at the Metal Heads group on Facebook.

Tracklist:

01. American Football - Never Meant
02. The Winston Jazz Routine - A Ghost Beneath The Tower
03. Sam Amidon - Wild Bill Jones
04. The Deep And Holy Sea - Symphony For A Songbird
05. Sera Cahoone - Only As The Day Is Long
06. Do Make Say Think - A With Living
07. The Battle Of Land And Sea - I Built The Sea
08. The Summer We Went West - Gin
09. Bon Iver - For Emma
10. Carissa's Wierd - A Loose Hair Falls Into A Glass Of Water Without Ice
11. Radical Face - Welcome Home, Son

Download

Geoff's Mix-O-Thrash Vol.1

2008-08-29T14:59:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Geoff G. from the Metal Heads group on Facebook. He said he was interested in making a few of these and he's a pretty knowledgeable dude when it comes to thrash metal, so check it out.

Thrash tracklist:

01. Andralls - Unexpected
02. Andralls - Fear Is My Ally
03. Assassin - Holy Terror
04. Blind Illusion - Death Noise
05. Carnivore - Angry Neurotic Catholics
06. Deathrow - Raging Steel
07. Heathen - Kill The King
08. Indestroy - U.S.S.A.
09. Mutilator - Immortal Force
10. Onslaught - Death Metal
11. Pentagram - Fatal Predictions
12. Possessed - Swing Of The Axe
13. Vio-Lence - Kill At Command
14. Wtachtower - Argonne Forrest
15. Blood Feast - Menacing Thunder
16. Living Death - You And Me

Download

Atmospheric Sludge Mix

2008-08-29T14:56:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Ken W. from the Metal Heads group on Facebook for this contribution.

01. Exxasens - "Polaris" 4:23
02. Rosetta- "Absent" 9:45
03. Buried at Sea - "The Dogs of Doom are Howling More" 8:08
04. Old Man Gloom - "Gift" 5:47
05. The Other Side of the Sky - "No Compromise" 7:11
06. Tomydeepestego - "Renovatio" 8:59

07. Angel Eyes - "Something to Do with Death" 13:16

Download

Doom Over the World Vol. 1 : Traditional Riffs

2008-08-28T18:00:00.000-07:00

So, I decided to do a little something different. I'm going to start making a few mixes to expose people to some bands they may not have heard of in a genre that they may be interested in. Or, expose people to a genre they've never heard and are interested in hearing. I wont be the only one making these mixes. Some are going to be donated by other contributors.

For my first round of mixes, I'm going to throw together some Doom compilations. This first compilation features some more traditional doom metal bands. It's a good primer for the genre and includes a couple bands that are more well known than the others on the compilation. If you're interested, check it out. More doom comps are coming.

I also realized, as I was uploading this mix, that I had forgotten to add Pagan Altar to the mix. So, please check them out. I'll put them on a later mix.

Doom Over the World: Vol.1 - Traditional Riffs

1. Pentagram - Sub-Intro (Instrumental)
2. Pentagram - Sub-Basement
3. Saint Vitus - The End of the End
4. The Obsessed - River Of Soul
5. Soulpreacher - Dead Pictures
6. Mirror Of Deception - Words Unspoken
7. Witchfinder General - Death Penalty
8. Cirith Ungol - Chaos Descends
9. Kin of Ettins - Folkvang (Awake but Dreaming)
10. Khang - Premeditated
11. Spirit Caravan - Black Flower
12. Trouble - The Wish
13. Yob - Ether

Part 1
Part 2

Penance - Proving Ground

2008-05-18T10:28:00.000-07:00

Here's another offering from the altar of doom metal. Penance are a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania doom metal outfit who produce some great tunes. While the vocals are mixed a little higher in the recording than they probably should be, they don't overpower the riffs and backing tracks. A good thing since these guys have some pretty kick-ass riffs.

Definite influence from some of the greats like Saint Vitus and various stoner rock sounds. Down-low and dirty sounds, just the way I like them.

Any fans of stoner rock and traditional doom metal will enjoy this recording.

Penance - Proving Ground

1.	Proving Ground
2.	Cloudless
3.	Transcending
4.	Dead Already
5.	Bitter
6.	Pain
7.	Never Lost
8.	Cast In Grey
9.	Bleed You
10.	Circle #9
11.	Slipping...

Myspace

DL PT.1
DL PT.2

Witch - Self-Titled

2008-05-15T18:05:00.000-07:00

"Witch was formed in 2005 by Dinosaur Jr. guitarist J. Mascis and long time friend Dave Sweetapple. However, Mascis does not play guitar for the band; he plays his first instrument, the drums . To complete the band's lineup, Mascis and Sweetapple recruited the guitarist and vocalist, Kyle Thomas, from avant-folk group Feathers . Their eponymous debut album was released on March 7, 2006. They also contributed an alternate version of the song "Rip Van Winkle" to the Invaders compilation, which was released by Kemado Records in 2006. Their latest album Paralyzed was released on March 18th, 2008."

Now that that's out of the way, this album is an amazing piece of doom. And I listen to a LOT of doom. When I heard "Seer" by way of a recommendation, I was hooked. I didn't expect anything less from a project associated with Dinosaur Jr. members.

This is some definite stoner-feeling, traditional doom metal and fans of trad doom will appreciate it. There's a touch of psychedelic in there as well. Witch also released a new album recently (Paralyzed), but I believe this one is a little better. Don't get me wrong, definitely check out the new album, but the self-titled is an essential album from the contemporary doom scene.

Kyle Thomas - vocals,guitar
Antoine Guerlain - guitar
Dave Sweetapple - bass
J Mascis - drums

Witch - Self-Titled

1. "Seer" - 7:57
2. "Soul of Fire" - 3:37
3. "Black Saint" - 6:02
4. "Changing" - 6:42
5. "Rip Van Winkle" - 4:43
6. "Hand of Glory" - 5:28
7. "Isadora" - 6:00

Myspace

DL

Ronnie & The Redcaps - 1958 Recordings

2008-05-15T15:04:00.000-07:00

How old is Ronnie James Dio? Answer: Really fuckin' old. Black Sabbath wasn't Dio's first. Raindbow wasn't Dio's first. Even Elf wasn't Dio's first.

Ronnie & The Redcaps was Dio's very first musical project back in 1958. Most of the album is your standard 50's Pop music. Take a listen to "Conquest," though. There's a cool guitar lick, that you normally wouldn't hear with the more poppy songs of the 50's, mixed with horns. Maybe more so with some blues recordings. An early hint of Ronnie's path?

Anyway, this is, as far as I know, the only recording of Ronnie & The Redcaps in existence. There is no title for it. Just a list of songs:

Ronnie & The Redcaps - 1958 Recordings

1. Lover
2. Conquest
3. An Angel is Missing
4. What I’d Say

DL

Dr. and the Crippens - Peel Sessions (1988)

2008-05-15T14:44:00.000-07:00

God knows what album cover that is and have fun trying to find a wealth of information about Dr. and the Crippens, but apparently John Peel felt they were good enough for his famous Peel Sessions. Rightfully so. Dr. and the Crippens are a buried treasure of the hardcore punk scene. They recorded through the 80's and early 90's.

In 1988, Dr. and the Crippens recorded their Peel Session and here it is in all its skull-punching glory. Check out "Ode to a Slug." Almost a grindcore song there. There's definitely some early stirrings of crossover in there as well.

Now a days, Tom Crippen (guitar) and Max Von Rheinheart (vocals) are now members of Baby Judas.

Dr. and the Crippens - Peel Sessions 1988

1. Pink Machinegun
2. The Ballad of Farmer Vincent
3. Garden Center Murders
4. Peely Backwards
5. Skintight
6. Ode to a Slug
7. Pneumatic Geek
8. Death Squad
9. Jimmy Goes to Egypt
10. Don't Look in the Freezer
11. Mindsurf
12. Experiment Conclusion

Myspace

DL

Battle of Mice - A Day of Nights

2008-05-15T14:15:00.000-07:00

Battle of Mice is a Neurot records super-group of sorts. I'm a complete fan of banshee-like, tortured female vocalists and Julie Christmas (Made Out of Babies) delivers just that on A Day of Nights. I've read in some places that Christmas showed up for some of the recording sessions without any written lyrics and simply improved the session. Whether this is true or not, Christmas delivers some very haunting and sometimes disturbing lyrics.

Backing her are Josh Graham (Red Sparrowes) on guitars/keyboards; Tony Maimone (Book of Knots) on bass; and Joel Hamilton on drums, who has worked with Sparklehorse, Unsane, Frank Black, Elvis Costello, Talib Kweli, Tom Waits and a host of other projects.

The musical content definitely falls into the realm of post-rock and shoegaze with a mix of ambient soundscapes that only help to increase the haunting charm of Christmas's vocals.

While some listeners may find it hard to wrap their head around Christmas's vocal stylings, give the record a chance before tossing it into the circular file.

Battle of Mice - A Day of Nights (2006)

"The Lamb and the Labrador" (6:56)
"Bones in the Water" (5:21)
"Sleep and Dream" (5:58)
"Salt Bridge" (5:49)
"Wrapped in Plain" (5:32)
"At the Base of the Giant's Throat" (9:10)
"Cave of Spleen" (7:16)

Myspace

DL

Granicus - Self-Titled

2008-05-15T12:52:00.000-07:00

Granicus was a short-lived band from Cleveland, OH. Their single, official release was this self-titled album which included tracks very reminiscent of another band, Led Zeppelin. Woody Leffel's vocals are haunting and very similar to Plant's. Granicus was signed to RCA records and called it quits after their only release.

Most people I play this record for think it's Zeppelin at first, so I can guarantee that fans of the Led will thoroughly enjoy this.

The tracks "Nightmare" and "Prayer" contain some of the most powerful vocals you'll hear from the 70's era of rock. It's a shame these guys never went on to further recordings. There is, however, a recording of a live performance that the band did in November of 1973. That will be uploaded at a later date.

Woody Leffel - vocals, guitars
Wayne Anderson - lead guitar
Al Pinelli - rhythm guitar
Dale Bedford - bass
Joe Battaglia - drums

Granicus - Self-Titled (1973)
1 - You're In America
2 - Bad Talk
3 - Twilight
4 - Prayer
5 - Cleveland Ohio
6 - Nightmare
7 - When You're Movin
8 - Paradise

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