Circling the Bowl (5/6/23)
As highly esteemed music journalists at this prestigious Toilet ov Hell, we hear a lot of new music day to day. But what are we actually listening to? “Circling the Bowl” is a weekly series where we get to share the jams we’ve been truly been jamming, and we invite you all to share as well.
Bob Genghis Khan – It’s really hard for me to get into new releases. The older I get, the pickier I am. There are weeks where I just don’t have the energy to find new stuff and I start playing the game where I pick an older record I’ve already played to death, then see how many more times I can play it until it evokes absolutely no emotional response. Don’t live like me people. Or do live like me and add these albums to your favorites list, too. You probably won’t regret it.
- Fugitive – Maniac (Don’t we all miss Power Trip? I sure do)
- Razormaze – Spawnsong (Slightly proggy technical thrash from Boston)
- The Fomites – Secret of the Booze (Song about Ghostbusters?! Google the lyrics for a real treat)
- Turnstile – Love Connection (That last track is a ripper)
- Wet Leg – Wet Leg (Not metal, but it’s a goddamn masterpiece)
- Drab Majesty – Modern Mirror (Make fun of me if you want. This album is great. Maybe it’s some sad boi shit, but it’s like Sisters of Mercy and the Cure had a baby. Trust me, it’s worth the listen. I’ve spun this record countless times.)
Joaquin Stick – It’s finally warming up here in the great lakes empire, which means my calendar is filling up with things that take away from cramming my skull with new music. Many of the things I’ve been extremely digging lately are not quite out yet (except LUNAR CHAMBER), so I’ll save those for later and instead share a few mildly enjoyable recs:
- Søstre – Søstre (Fun grimy black’n’roll record that is hilariously not on youtube or bandcamp)
- Predatory Void – Seven Keys to the Discomfort of Being (Great blackened posty sludge and a bunch of other stuff)
- Herod – Iconoclast (Posty sludge that I was expecting more from, but still solid)
Spear – For as much as I’ve complained of late about not having time to listen to music, I apparently still churn through a hefty chunk of tunes every now and again. Either that or I’m just a filthy liar. There’s probably an essay in here about approaching art via consumption rather than appreciation or analysis, but I’m not smart enough to write that. Anyway, jams.
- Majesties – Vast Reaches Unclaimed
- The Black Dahlia Murder – Nightbringers
- Megadeth – Rust in Peace
- Metallica – “No Remorse” like 500 times
- Nightmarer – Deformity Adrift
- Dawn of Ouroboros – Velvet Incandescence
- Astriferous – Pulsations from the Black Orb
- Setentia – Darkness Transcend
- Incriminating Silence – Vicissim
- Orphalis – As the Ashes Settle
- Serotonin Zero – Broken Worlds
Rolderathis – It’s apparently feast or famine for my owl ears—the year’s (personally) tepid first quarter has suddenly transformed into a spraying septic spigot. This week’s listening was almost exclusively piping hot releases, with a few staples thrown in and Wake, Conjurer, and Khemmis in a live setting to boot. Bonus points to Ellorsith for alerting me to one of the most eerie and upsetting true stories I’ve ever heard.
- Athanatheos – Cross. Deny. Glorify. (Fav track: “Witness”)
- Symbiontic – The Sun And The Darkness (Fav track: “Embrace The Infinite”)
- Blind The Huntsmen – White Eyes (Fav track: “Chapter 8 – Contorting Colossus”. H/T to Kenstrosity for the rec!)
- Ninth Realm – Inhuman Nature / Ninth Realm (Fav track: Ninth Realm – “Against the Gods”)
- Spinebreaker – Cavern of Inoculated Cognition (Fav track: “Beneath Our Blood Stained Sun”)
- Tanith – Voyage (Fav track: “Snow Tiger”)
- Abyssal/Ellorsith – Sepulchorporeal / Amore (Fav track: Ellorsith -“Elena de Hoyos”)
Megachiles –
- Krallice — Porous Resonance Abyss: Krallice XIII: Krallice in Space
- Shadows — Out for Blood: FFO: Ghost, Mercyful Fate, Sonja, cool jackets, and wearing sunglasses at night.
D.F. (McNulty) – The last few weeks I’ve been diving back in to some serious nostalgia, to the greatest band to ever have existed, or ever will. My favorite band in high school (class of ’99) who essentially disbanded after their third full-length in 2003: 2 Skinnee J’s. They were a rap / rock / new-wave band from Brooklyn whom had two rappers and a full backing band, including keyboards and trumpets on certain tracks. Besides being excellent, they were really funny and just plain fun…
- 2 Skinnee J’s – !Supermercado! 1998 marked the debut full-length, which is just chock full of zingers. “Riot Nrrrd” was their breakout single on alternative radio stations, and as a nerd I was all about it. (Some people have labeled the band “nerdcore”, which is quite fitting.) “In the Clutches of the Diabolical Sergeant Stiletto” is my favorite off this one, I highly recommend it.
- 2 Skinnee J’s – Volumizer. Record label issues delayed this one by about two years; and it finally found release in 2002… but it just couldn’t beat that debut. Having said that, it does include what many consider the best song of their career, “Girl With the World In Her Eyes“. Another stand-out is “Loud Neighbor” – check it out if you like what you hear so far.
- 2 Skinnee J’s – Sexy Karate. 2003 marked the end of an era and they sorta went out with a whimper. It really does start out with the best track, “Get In the Van” and the momentum can’t be maintained throughout most of the rest. “Friends Don’t Let Friends Listen to Rap Metal” is a short but fun one, and includes samples from Star Wars for all us nerds! It’s a decent album that’s overshadowed by its predecessors, as they seemed to be heading in a more radio-friendly direction (who didn’t in that time period?).
Their live shows were so much fun, they always found creative uniforms to wear on stage (for instance rabbit suits), and they could energize the crowd like nothing I had seen before. I did get to see them live once, which was great; but watching those performances now almost make me cry that they’re no longer active. Check them out if any of this sounds enticing!
