Riff Of The Week: 2017 First Quarter Giveaway!
1/4 of the year gone! And so far and there have been some amazing riffs on offer ’round these parts. Here, some of your favourites battle it out for top honours.
Last week we asked for DOOOOOOM riffs, and after a three-way deadlock overnight, Scott Towel’s Fórn riff came from forth place scoring 20% of the vote in a single day to clean up the competition and close out the weekend well ahead, somehow defeating the dual Wizards Electric. Somewhere, money changed hands. Somewhere else, hands changed money. These events may or may not have been related. They also may not have happened.
This week we asked for your favourite riff from an album released in 2017 that’s been featured on the Toilet ov Hell. As expected, we ended up with a pretty diverse selection. Somehow you all ended up missing the best riff of the year though. I don’t know why you would do that. It’s almost as if you’re implying your version of “best” is different to mine. And everyone else’s. But of course, you wouldn’t do that, as that would sorta mean that best is essentially a useless descriptor when applied to art. And that would be dumb, because describing art is the best. Although, your opinion might be different.
Scott Towel
The Great Old Ones – “The Shadow Over Innsmouth”
This is for me the best song on their new record, it flows perfectly for 10 minutes straight without losing any urgency, but the crowning moment is the very last riff, which I can’t ever not bang my head to til my neck snaps. Riff makes its presence known at 7:45, but reaches maximum potential at 8:41.
TovH Review: The Great Old Ones – EOD: A Tale Of Dark Legacy
Richter
Viles Vitae – “IV”
I woke up absurdly early today and ate a key lime Greek yogurt with a glass of Green Machine kale-n’-shit juice. Then I had too much coffee, followed by shakiness and nausea, which reminded me that I had not eaten enough, so I ate some hummus with stoned wheat crackers. Then came more coffee, followed by more nausea, followed by this riff from Viles Vitae, followed by the melting of my face, spine and butt. Bonus: this riff kicks off with the blackest of “Ugh”s! Riff and “Ugh”: 21:02.
TovH Review: Viles Vitae – IV
Howard Dean
White Death – “Goat Emperor”
This catchy-as-all-get-out Finnish black metal riff comes to you from our friend Richter’s favorite album of the year, White Death’s S/T debut! We should get those gullible Wintersun fans to crowdfund us some cash so that we can buy Richter a few signed die hard copies of this album plus a meet-and-greet with the band. I heard he’s getting the White Death logo tattooed on his lower back (cause no arms). The riff rocks your head and neck at 2:17. Byahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!
TovH Review: White Death
Yarnhawk
Sons Ov Omega – “Pandora”
Reign by Sons ov Omega has easily become one of my favourite releases of the year so far. Beauty and brutality, melody and aggression, this album has it all. And riffs! RIFFS!!! This album is chock full of ’em! I was struggling at first to single one out, but the riff at 3:16 kept coming back to me, and I couldn’t say no. It’s just so headbangable, with just enough of a rhythmic twist to keep you on your toes. Throw them horns up high!
Sons Ov Omega Exclusive TovH Album Stream
Ted Nu-Djent
Power Trip – “Executioner’s Axe”
2017 has been a slow start for me with a lack of desire to check anything new and focus on the stuff I haven’t listened to enough or revisiting old favourites in my collection. Of the 4 albums released in 2017 only one of them has featured on this here Toilet which kinda limited my options somewhat when selecting a riff for the week, so here’s another Power Trip submission. The riff at 0.14 makes me want to break shit.
TovH Radio Interview With Power Trip
Karhu
Gorephilia – “The Ravenous Storm”
I don’t know if this riff is the best (featured) riff to come out this year – but it does slay. I had to choose this band – they’re locals for me, this album slays, and fewer have taken notice than I’d like. Despite the fact it was reviewed on this very site. What band, you may ask? Gorephilia. What riff you may ask? That riff @0:43 in The Ravenous Storm off of their Severed Monolith. The Morbid Angel-ian tremolo crawl, the effects of which have been captured on photograph that was used as the cover art for the record.
TovH Review: Gorephilia – Severed Monolith
Next week we’re going to be looking for riffs from the 1st minute of the 2nd song from a band’s 3rd full-length album. That should give you over 36,842 riffs to choose from. To enter, all you’ve gotta do is email your screen-name, a YouTube link to the song, and a short description of the riff (that includes a time-stamp) to toiletovhellriff@gmail.com by Friday next week. I’m no mathematician but I think if your time-stamp is anything over 0:59, you’ve fucked up.
(Image via)
