The Curse Weekly Playlist: Supporting Nihilistic Noise

First off, thanks to DJ J. Fever AKA DJ Melodic One for his comment that inspired this. I had considered it before, but decided against it. Still, if people will check them out, I will make them.

I also want to introduce out new font: Lucida Grande. Pretty no?

Using the kick ass 8Tracks website(get to know it if you don't), I will be making weekly playlists of some of the underground Extreme Music(Metal, Punk, Noise) that I have been listening to over the previous week. They will be about 10 tracks give or take, and will all feature lesser known artists. The hope is to promote these acts as best I can, which was the whole point of this blog in the first place. If you like what you hear, then get out there and support these artists, whether it's buying their gear, heading out to their shows or just sharing kind words of encouragement.

Anyway, here is the link to the first playlist: Weekly Playlist #1

Tracklist:
1. GGUW - "Untitled" : Raw Atmospheric Black Metal from Germany, off the EP Gegen Gravitation und Willensfreiheit(2011)

2. Hordes - "Servile" : Metallic Hardcore from The United States, off the EP Abarognosis(2011)

3. Temple Nightside - "Incipit-Relinquished" : Atmospheric Black/Death from Australia, off the EP Prophecies of Malevolence(2011)

4. A Pregnant Light - "Impurity Flowing Upward" : Raw BlackCrust from The United States, off the LP A Feast of Clipped Wings(2011)

5. Nuclear Magick - "Nuclear Necromancy" : Bestial Black Metal/Sludge from Germany, off the demo Priests of the Bomb(2010)

6. Schattenvald - "Niedergang 1648: Eyn Raub von Flammen" : Raw Atmospheric Black Metal from Germany, off the LP II(2007)

7. Deathrite - "Claws" : Metallic Hardcore from Germany, off the EP Deathrite(2011)

8. Uzumaki - "An Engrossing Epitaph" : Technical Death Metal from The United States, off the LP Glossolalia(2012)

9. Ringing Bell - "With Positive Actuator To Project and To Retract" : Death/Doom from Denmark, off the demo Hospital Corners(2012)

10. Dressed in Streams - "The Breastplate Shines" : Raw Atmospheric Black Metal from The United States, off the LP Dressed in Streams(2011)

Best of 2011 Genre Awards: Punk/Crust/Hardcore

5.) Weekend Nachos- Worthless

Nasty and discordant Powerviolence the way it should sound. Weekend Nachos just consistently deliver feedback fueled Crust Punk every time they touch their instruments. Effectively disposes of posers like so many Uzi rounds.

4.) All Pigs Must Die- God is War

Basically the same album as Darker Handcraft. So yeah, I guess I am emotionally disturbed and prone to brutal violence. Nothing else can describe these vomitous waves of pure rage. I am off to mutilate my genitals.

3.) Trap Them- Darker Handcraft

Crusty, nasty, filthy hate sounds. That is all one should expect from Trap Them and Darker Handcraft. I mean really, how many mentally unstable and unhinged people are in this world, making and listening to this kind of hellish bowel rumbles? Are there really a legion of pissed off and slightly psychotic 17-25 year old's just jamming out to this and carving manifestos into frozen sides of beef? And most of all, what does this say about me?

2.) Defeater- Empty Days & Sleepless Nights

Few acts in Metal or Punk set out to tell a story. Defeater are one of those rare acts who seek to ditch the typical tough guy/sensitive guy aesthetic and tell a real story about real people. Doing this through chaotic, enraged and ballsy Melodic Hardcore just makes it that much better. The final four tracks are all acoustic and clean singing, which just makes this album that much more adventurous.

1.) Young And In The Way- V. Eternal Depression

Dripping with melancholy and despair, overflowing with anger and hatred, V. Eternal Depression is one of those records that opens your eyes to the potential of Punk and Metal. I can't think of any band that has endeavored to mix Depressive Black Metal with Crust Punk, but Young and In The Way did just that in the most beautiful and intense way imaginable. It's only flaw? It ends.

New Lows- Harvest of the Carcass(2011)

New Lows- Harvest of the Carcass

Part of the new wave of Metallic Hardcore bands inspired by legendary acts like Integrity, Earth Crisis and early Hatebreed, New Lows play crusty, filthy and extremely heavy Hardcore Punk mixed with elements of Death Metal, Thrash Metal and Grindcore. Thick with distortion and bowel-rumbling bass, Harvest of the Carcass is one of the most flat out heavy releases from this year.

If you have listened to any of the recent stuff from Trap Them, All Pigs Must Die or Nails, you have an idea of what to expect with this one: guitars so crusty you can hear the grime on the guitar strings, bass so low it rattles the rafters and drums so punishing the band might as well come over and kick in you the face, since they both feel about the same. Few acts can match New Lows pure aggression: the band expertly shift from two-step tempos to sludgey breakdowns to blasty Grindcore sections and back again, often all in the same song. The album moves at full speed, although the bands best tracks like the opener "Stagnant Strides" takes time to reach their extreme apex and reward the listener in full for it.

And if you have listened to any of the recent stuff from Trap Them, All Pigs Must Die or Nails, you have heard this all before. Which is not to say Harvest of the Carcass is not worth checking out: but the complete lack of originality is bound to turn some people off to New Lows well worn brand of Metallic Hardcore devastation. In truth, other than maybe the Grindcore heavy Nails, all of these modern Metallic Hardcore acts owe their sound to the work of the mighty Integrity, who were not only one of the first bands in Hardcore Punk to embrace Death and Thrash Metal, but were one of the first bands to embrace Metal's imagery, much like New Lows do with Harvest of the Carcass. That feeling of "been there, heard that" is perhaps the only issue with Harvest of the Carcass, because as a piece of entertainment this album is about as well crafted as it gets.

In the end, quality wins out over originality with Harvest of the Carcass. New Lows may not be "new," but the level of polish and intensity on this album surpasses many of the releases this year. The sheer, grimey intensity of Harvest of the Carcass is more than enough to give this album a listen, as long as one tempers their expectations.

7.5/10