Riff Of The Week: HM-2 Edition
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Last week we held a gotdamn August All-In brawl. There were far too many bodies being flung around and the colours blurred into one big brown shitstorm of fret-fuckery and corpse crust. As I’ve been on a bit of a Portal kick lately, I’m awarding victory to Enemy Of The Sun. Don’t @ me.
This week we asked for HM-2 Buzzsaw riffage. Here’s what you sent in…
Brock Samson
Crawl – ‘Black Ritual’ (Riff @ 0:30)
Yo Dawg, I heard you like HM-2, so I got you some HM-2.
GrungierNine0
Hail of Bullets – ‘Berlin’ (Riff @ 3:00)
Is this Swedish sounding? Whichever way that tone is downright dirty. Being one of the mightiest riffs on an album of mighty riffs is no small feat. Turns out 1945 Berlin isn’t a great place.
Hans
Fleshcrawl – ‘As Blood Reigns From The Sky’ (Riff @ 1:06)
It was your specification of “obnoxious HM-2” that made me think of this. This must have been the first time I heard that sound, or at least heard it used this excessively, and lacking any context, I didn’t know what to make of it. Seemed like just a weird stylistic choice back then and was one of the reasons I never really listened to this band. Oh, to be a young poseur again, only just dipping into the shallow end of the extreme metal pool…
Enemy Of The Sun
My Bloody Valentine – “You Made Me Realise” (Riff @ 0:00)
I was gonna send something out of Darkthrone’s criminally underrated debut, or perhaps something out of God Macabre’s sadly overlooked sole album, but I figured there was gonna be a fuckton of OSDM already. So instead I am sending this riff from the progenitors of shoegaze. And guitarist/vocalist/mega cutie Bilinda Butcher had an HM-2 among her 100+ pedals, so it counts
Vladimir Poutine
Trap Them – “Evictionaries” (Riff @ 0:00)
Avoiding the low-hanging fruit of Entombed and slightly-higher-but-still-low-hanging fruit of Horrendous brings us to Trap Them. “Evictionaries” has a particularly tasty main riff that juxtaposes the slightly drunken feeling of its chord choice with its more straightforward rhythmic phrasing. Once the vocals kick in it’s all over- you’re ready to start a circle pit by yourself, wherever you are at the time. It’s times like these when I ask myself why I listen to this stuff at work; it’s a professional liability.
Positronic Brain
Endrot – “Bodysnatcher” (Riff @ 0:00)
I’m feeling saucy this week, and submitting one of my own no-name, knockoff HM-2 riffs. Gimme a break here – I got punched in the face Thursday night by an asshole narcotic-seeking patient. I deserve a little self indulgence, no?
Lacertilian
Descent – ‘Stain’ (Riff @ 1:55)
We premiered a track from this short burst of Aussie aggression a few weeks ago, and as of yesterday the whole thing is out crushing skulls. The riff @ 1:55 on album opener ‘Stain’ is one of the slower riffs on the album but is perfect for smashing through traffic on your daily commute.
Next week we’re going to opposite end of the spectrum and getting fancy as fuck.
Send me your favourite use of Piano in a metal song.
Submission details below.
