Monday, December 31, 2007

Dispatches from Powerviolence: Keith Buckley Gives a Year-End Throatpunch



Thanks a lot, I think I'm crying now... Weeping for my own sense of lost time, agenda, and self. What a way to prep myself for a meaningless night of the same old parties and liver-damaging, except with a random ten second yell-along to prove to ourselves we indeed passed first grade and remember our numbers. So here is Ol' Mr. Buckley, King of the Shitty Dudes, giving this year a boot behind us in the most beautiful of fashions........

[from his myspace blog:]

Garfield, you were right all along when you said "Fuck Mondays"…..

Yes, it is new years eve. I'll get to that in a second. First things first: Happy Smoking Day United Kingdom! For those of you that are unaware, December 31st is National Smoking Day in the UK, and for those who wish to engage in nationwide bad-habitry, you are encouraged- in an oddly American-esque display of brazen disregard for babies and sick people- to smoke WHEREVER YOU FEEL LIKE! (www.nationalsmokingday.com) That's right everyone, Britain has finally seen the light and has adopted the infamous Tyra Banks "SO WHAT" mentality that was forcefully applied to our own contingent of out of shape and gluttonous patriots. High Blood pressure and Gestational diabetes? "SO WHAT?!" Bronchitis for unsuspecting victims of second hand smoke who are trying to color their placemats? "SO WHAT?!" Today is a day to be proud of who you are. In all your inconsiderate and wheezy glory.

Ok, back to the real reason for this entry. It's the last day of 2007. I think as you get older, the idea that there is a significantly distinct "last" time for every thing you do begins to take on a more sordid tone. When we were younger, every "last" was a checkpoint we passed on our unflinching march towards adulthood and, inherently, our first boob. Maybe even 2. Now I'm 28 and I have back spasms and a grey pube and the last Monday of another year feels eerily like the guy who pulls into the pick up window of a mcdonalds drive thru behind you before you've had the chance to check if your order was right. It has shuffled me along and stood hungrily in my stead. Certainly not as final as the hobble of time, but easily just as sad. So, today I woke up and decided to reflect on the year before it has pushed me into the exit lane, and while I cant go back to change what I' ve been given, at least on the ride home ill be able to convince myself I'm quite happy with what I've ended up with after all.

I'm not going to recap the major events of the year because I don't think I can remember all the ones worth mentioning and I don't think the ones worth mentioning are anything I can even comment on. I know that there were moments in the past year where I read or heard something and looked around the room frantically to see if any one else was simultaneously feeling the backward slide of civilization, but those moments don't stick with you, and THAT'S the reason Nickelback is the biggest band in the world. There is just too much, too often. While you're reeling from one insult to your intelligence, another comes in the form of a celebrity vagina and puts you on one knee and while the refs back is turned because he's yelling at the obnoxious ringside manager, Family Guy uses the least impressive comedic tactics in history to hold you down while 2 girls and 1 cup pin you for the count. Well, you stand on the losing end of this one sided slug fest for too long, and eventually you are forced to retire before your time. So you remove yourself from actively buying cd's. and switch to vinyl. You cancel cable and watch only Jodoworsky. read strictly Bukowski. Listen to Iron and Wine. drink gin. Smoke cloves. proudly resign from the machine, thinking if you cant play a part you wont play at all. The problem with this, is that you were the only one smart enough to know how to change anything. So, now George Bush is my president and since I don't have satellite radio in the car, I have to hear who else Akon has teamed up with. Thanks assholes.



I decided this year I don't really have a "skill". I have a motorcycle and know how to change only its gas and spark plugs. I have a million books on my shelf and cant tell you off the top of my head the name of the only guy on our currency that WASN'T a president. I have been in a band for 10 years and cant tune a guitar. I kind of feel like I'm doing a really bad imitation of myself. I used to play the piano. I used to write ALL THE TIME. When I was 16, I wrote 200+ pages of what I one day hoped would be a book. I still have it in my closet. I have an idea for a movie that would, without a doubt, become at least one persons favorite movie of all time and I cant pull myself together enough to start writing it. I decided to write this today because I am now giving everyone who reads it the license to call me out. challenge me. Make me worry that I may be forgotten quickly, so that I improve rapidly. Maybe not drink so much. Maybe write more than I have been lately. Maybe read another Fante book instead of a celebrity website.

I used to think, and still kind of do, that when I stopped collecting cards, everyone else did too. As if the Men In Black erased our memory of what a "Beckett" ever was. And not just from my friends minds, I mean eradicated them from history. I don't remember anyone ever asking me to trade cards and me having to say "naw man, im into metallica now. Sorry". it was just like a flock of birds who communally decide to change direction, the whole world stopped card collecting. Then I realized something. MYSPACE is the new flea market. You collect people who are branded with stats and you do nothing but collect. Except we no longer search frantically for that one quality card, like Brett Hulls rookie. We need EVERY card. And when we have every card, we get our own reality show on MTV where we pretend to be bi-sexual…..

I got engaged this year. I put out the best record of my career. I work for a magazine I grew up reading where I do something I love doing. The only thing in the world that could possibly drag me away from my fiancé for months at a time are my friends, and I get to hopelessly search America with them. I have a lot to be thankful for, but I have more to be excited about. I want to write a better record next year. I want to love touring like I used to. i want to not just be engaged, but have a marriage that works. I want to team up with Akon. I want to write that movie. I want to talk to you. this year, maybe I will.

Monday, December 17, 2007

Old Timers: Fear - "Live... for the Record"



Hunt it down. Find it. Buy it. Listen to it. Worship it. Laugh with it. Sleep with it. Cry with it... Make babies.

If you're new to the church of Fear, most assjacks tell you to just go in chronological order of their releases and appreciate their contributions to the late late 70's and early 80's LA punk/core scene, with their quasi-offensive and silly-with-a-fist combative nature. However, I have to call shenanigans on that jazz, cuz I whole-spleenly feel that you should just fuck out the middle man and skip right to the gnarspot (affectionately known as the G-spot). Everyone knows that when a live record is done right, the songs are a little more energetic, a little faster, a little rougher, and a little louder. And if you're a lucky shit, you get some variations on the originally recorded material, some between-song banter, and an altogether more lively, acidic experience... Duh, gurl... And obviously, when done wrong, you get 90% of the live albums you can go pick up at your local Circuit Shitty.

This one, my sea-legged brethren, thankfully falls in the former... that delicious 10% of live albums that gets the job done, and done, and then some, dumdum. The reason I push you to pick this one up first, speaking as if knowing you are some newcomer to this forgotten gem (cuz who we kidding, we both know you are, sillypants), is because this powerhouse o' powerviolence is packed to the gums with 19 tunes that each wanna make me do 19 separate spastic jigs like I have 19 separate spastic colons when they come on. And you got some spanning shit on here! It's like a modern day best of the litter! And not only this, like stated above, shit's more energetic, faster, rougher, and louder... And Lee Ving's crooning snarl is so much more endearing when it's not polished and packaged.

But probably the most bang for the buck comes from the between-jam chatterboxing, from the band and from the crowd. This recording, which went out live on the radio back en la dia, has horribly-delivered jokes, as well as horrible jokes delivered quite well... but some of the best shits comes from randoms in the crowd who have some of the sharpest wit I've ever heard, and that's saying a lot when talking about a gaggle of some dumb punks crammed into some dumb hole in the wall for a Fear show... Check out the vid below for an example of a good ol' Fear live set...

Fear - "I Love Livin' in the City" (live) [taken from The Decline of Western Civilization]

Featured Live Show: Dillinger Escape Plan / A Life Once Lost / Genghis Tron / Shat



12.16.07 - Blender Theater (Gramercy) - NYC

If you live in New York City or the surrounding areas (or even in fuckin' Maine for all I care), and you missed this show, you seriously deserve to have your eyelids peeled off with a toenail clipper... Cuz you stupidly missed the most incredible/ intense/ intertaining/ insane/ inbelievable (and any other in words out there, real or made up by my damn self) show of this forgettable year of two thousand and seven.

Dudeski, you missed Shat's dildo armor, grown men dressed as babies wearing shitty diapers, and some of the filthiest songs known to the human race... You missed Genghis's dueling electro-wizardry and warlockery... You missed ALOL's overuse of a rad fog machine, their brutal riff-core-stoner-nastiness, and Bob's as usual vicious vocal delivery and stage persona... But most importantly, you missed the almighty DEP. You missed the diving into the crowd, you missed the chaotic swinging of necks of guitars, you missed the fireballs, you missed a duet with original singer, Dimitri, you missed the flying mic stands, and cabinet climbing, and guitar smashing, and the mic getting thrown into the crowd for an audience lead-in, and a duet with Bob from ALOL resulting in a double crowd swan dive by the two singers... In other words, you missed perfection... You missed the reason we're all here... You missed the answer.

And I'm not kidding in the slightest... even though my tone may scream that I'm kidding... just believe me when I say I'm not kidding... cuz if I was kidding I'd tell you... if I was kidding... no... kidding... But regardless, I will go toe to toe with any numbskull on this damn planet who wants to knock irons with me that Dillinger Escape Plan isn't the greatest live band ever... and I mean EVER, like how I totally meant "not kidding" a sentence ago. Yeah, that much... They are THE greatest live band since the dawn of time, the beginning of the world, and the first snap-crackle-pop of the Big Bang... and please, if you wanna argue, do something... cuz i will cut you, trick.

So in other words, this monster is coming to basically all six sides of everywhere, so do yourself, your adrenaline, your heart rate, and your miserably meaningless little life a favor and pick up a ticket to your local DEP show today... That's my public service announcement for the week.

[Note from the editor... the Spleenster] Oh, and I helped play cameraman for our buddies over at Metal Injection, and we recorded the whole Dillinger set and three songs from each of the openers, as well as a hilarious interview with Greg from DEP on their bus, so when those are all edited up all sexylike, you'll be sure to see them on here as well... Eat it, fatboy.

Friday, December 14, 2007

Heavy Rotation: Fellas of the Belly (Dec. 14)

What? A Heavy Rotation actually posted on a Friday? I know it's crazy, but it's true. Let's do it to it.

The Hellion:
01. Architect - All is Not Lost
02. Boom Bip - Blue Eyed in the Red Room
03. The American Black Lung - Sudden Departure of Vultures
04. Old Man Gloom - Seminar II
05. Majority Rule - Emergency Numbers
06. Light the Fuse and Run - All Your Base are Belong to Us
07. Hella - There's No 666 in Outer Space
08. Mara'akate - Mara'akate
09. Textbook Traitors - You Pull the Strings that Make Us Dance
10. The Good Life - Black Out

Spleen Latifa:
01. Hour of the Wolf - Waste Makes Waste
02. Behold...The Arctopus - Nano-Nucleonic Cyborg Summoning
03. Bane - Give Blood
04. Job for a Cowboy - Doom
05. Bear Vs. Shark - Terrorhawk
06. Wire - Pink Flag
07. Scarlet - Cult Classic
08. Blues - Snakepit
09. Venom - Black Metal
10. This Bike is a Pipe Bomb - Front Seat Solidarity

Rabble Arouser:
01. The Vandals - Do as the Vandals Do
02. Crass – The Feeding of the 5000
03. The Replacements - Pleased to Meet Me
04. The .357 String Band - Ghost Town
05. Sonic Youth - (just in general)
06. The Dead Milkmen - Death Rides a Pale Cow
07. NOFX - Punk in Drublic
08. Mr. Bungle - Disco Volante
09. Ween - Craters of the Sac
10. Propagandhi - How to Clean Everything

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Dispatches from Powerviolence: Spleen Latifa on perezhilton.com



Gnarfight the power... And gnarquestion all authority.

So here's the skinny, slitwrists... I won't bore you with all the business mumbo jumbo, cuz I'm sure your favorite trusted media and news outlets are handling that for you already... But down at the hive, my place of employment, the greedy fatcats have decided to alert us worker bees that we'll be having our benefits drastically slashed come the 22nd of this month. And in true powerviolence fashion, we aren't going along quietly, and have taken to the streets in quite the noisy fashion. Up until yesterday, I thought this was all going under the radar, until I was alerted to the fact that a vicious photo of yours truly with a face like a cagefightsharkfuck had popped up on America's leading celebrity gossip blog... I have to say, this has got to be the first time a Choking Victim canvas patch has shown up there. Anywho, take a peak at the Spleen flaunting tasty ways to destroy capitalism, and always remember it is better to shut it down than to create what is meaningless.

Click here to see it on perezhilton.com

Click here to see more photos from the week's walk outs

All non-screengrab pics by the one and only urban cowboy from hell... Daniel Arnold



Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Dude, Let's Make a Video, This Song Rips: Knights of the Abyss - "Dragon Pie"

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Knights of the Abyss are pretty fucking bearfight, so who wouldn't want to rock out to them with a friend or two? Well, it's cool to rock out at shows and stuff, but when rocking out at home, one should never record it, let alone put the fucker up on YouTube. It just blows our minds here at the Belly when we see people like this trying to be cool and act all bad-ass. Sure, sometimes you might argue that the people doing it are trying to be funny, but then they should do just that: be funny. These two chode-smokers are just plain dumb, and I have no idea what they were thinking.

First off, who the fuck has a Spiderman costume that actually fits? That drummer guy is a total fart-knocker for owning (and don't forget wearing) that thing. I bet you broseph is like 28 years old and has never felt a boob besides his own mother's. On top of that, his numbskull friend is trying to look all hard by wearing a Misfits glove and a bandanna with the hood on his sweatshirt up. Whoa, watch out. Here comes Johnny Football Hero trying to act rough. I bet he totally rode his Harley down the flight of stairs from his bedroom into his parents' basement. And look how off these losers are. It looks like this is the first time they've even heard the goddamn song.I seriously have no clue why they posted this shit, because it's obvious they have no friends that are going to check it out.

Enjoy.

Knights of the Abyss - "Dragon Pie" (as covered by Da Basement Bandits)

Monday, December 10, 2007

(Un)featured Live Show: The Misfits 30th Anniverscary Tour



The following was written today by our newest powerviolence guest contributor, Rabble Arouser (răb'əl-erou'za)... And by the looks of things, the broad's got a mouth on her, take a gander and see:

The first time I heard the Misfits I was ten years old. I was babysitting for a couple of drunks when I found the “Beware” LP and put it on. The one song that really stood out to me was “Last Caress.” That was the most vile and offensive shit I had ever heard at that point in my life and I LOVED every goddamned second of it. What I was hearing were Danzig’s melodic vocals reaching to the heavens to say fuck you to Jesus. It was the first song to tap that evil spot inside me. It was a magical experience that any young gal would be lucky to have. Rape? Killing babies? Priceless. I continued for years remembering that tune and singing it aloud in public places every chance I got because, well yeah, I’m just like that, until a friend revealed to me that the song I was singing was actually by the Misfits and that’s when the love affair began.

That was until last Saturday. I surveyed the crowd, eyes selectively glazing over the “Punk’s Not Dead” t-shirts purchased at the Hot Topic and the faux hawks mass produced at Great Clips and I began to wonder; what does being a punk even mean anymore? Well, if you're talking about the crowd at the recent Misfits show than your answer is being twelve, having a big allowance and spending it all on a black tee shirt with the logo of a band that sold out a long time ago.

So up come the SHITfits, oops I meant to say MISfits (…no, I didn’t). Now if the image that enters your mind is of an old man’s knees quivering while his violently exploding diarrhea blasts out of his asshole-- that was intentional. The curtains (yes curtains! You can get gigs at fancy venues when you sell out) were drawn to reveal a set filled with the predicted ghosts and ghouls you would expect from the band and no, I don’t mean the shadowy figures of a punk tradition long since laid to rest. I’m talking like your run of the mill Halloween aisle at Walgreen’s Pharmacy. Sad, yet exactly what I would expect to see at their “Anniverscary” tour. I spent the first half of their set trying my best not to get pissed about the fact that pussy boy Jerry Only has been ruining their name since he took over and made everything about the Misfits Disney-pop-fantastic. Which translates to me having to associate with children, on a night which should have been filled with loads of unholy fun.

They blazed through their set like a bad cover band with Only’s shitty vocals scraping the feeling out of all the original songs. The best part of the show, and please note my sarcasm, was between songs when Only decided to give the crowd his idea of a motivational speech. It was hilarious! Like when he was thanking his family and fans for their support by saying “Sometimes you just gotta get behind someone and push.” That made me smile because I was envisioning pushing his crusty ass off the stage. He kept up with these pathetic inspirational speeches throughout the night, telling us how much he loves his kids and shit, which don’t get me wrong I think is great for a Hallmark card. I found it particularly ironic when they played “Attitude” since clearly, Only’s Misfits have about as much attitude as my grandmother, after her stroke. Jerry Only is a pussy riding on his retarded signature “devilock,” which looks like the “Flock of Seagulls” bitch ran outta fucking hairspray and Danzig’s success.



I could probably have gotten over a fair amount of the cheese, (living in Wisconsin has given me a better tolerance for such things) but when Only changed the words to purify my favorite childhood tune the shit hit the fan. “I KISSED your baby today????” I shit you not, that’s what he said. Ok, so now he’s a politician? A baby kisser? I wanted to puke. So I waited, hoping I misheard him, but no, I was correct. Not only does Jerry Only “kiss your baby” in the newly revised Last Caress but he “tapped your mother.” Uh, excuse me ma’am, but may I please sneak a peak between your legs? I sincerely doubt that this guy has balls at all. I know Jerry, I know, you don’t want to offend your audience of middle schoolers, but please don’t cheapen the experience for the true fans.

Sorry to disappoint fiends, but you should just put your money and your horror punk-induced erections back into you pants. Unless of course you're a pedophile whose idea of a good time is to party with a bunch of twelve years olds, save yourself the trip.

Best quote of the night:
“yeah man, the Misfits fucking rocked....30 years ago!”

Dispatches from Powerviolence: Against Me! Named Artist of the Week on MTV



Let's clear the air for a second... I am an Against Me! fan. I support them. I support their choices. I find them to be wonderful gentlemen. Their live shows are a religious experience/force to be reckoned with. I will fuckstart your head with a powerdrill if you want to try and dissuade me from feeling this way. Alrighty, with that being said, it has been brought to my attention that the MTV Artist of the Week, esta semana, is our favorite lil' black-clad boys from Gainesville... And even though I don't know how I feel about it just yet, and since I love this band more than pelicans love mustaches, I bring you junkscabs this dispatch from the powerviolence under[above?]ground.

But one more interesting note, I actually got a chuckle out of the send up of the holier-than-thou-Against-Me!-purists-that-seriously-need-to-take-a-dirtnap-and-dine-on-a-bullet-or-two cuz the same ol' "dude they were only good back when blah blah" is getting lamer by the fortnight, written by the Buzzworthy Blog on MTV's site... Here's a snippet of that:

"We know, we know: You’ve been listening to them since practically before they were a band. You have We’re Here to Ruin Your Fun on tape, and Tom’s First Demo is amongst your most prized possessions. You were actually AT the Laundromat shows. You could spend hours arguing Against Me!’s place within the anarchistic punk canon. You’d grab As the Eternal Cowboy and Reinventing Axl Rose if you were headed to a deserted island and could only bring along two albums. (And Crime as Forgiven By if you were allowed to bring an EP).

You swore you’d never love again when they left Fat Wreck for Sire (once home to The Ramones, The Replacements, The Smiths, The Cure and Dinosaur Jr.), but you pretended to be sick the day New Wave came out so you could stay home and spend some special “getting-to-know-you” time with the album, which reflected the band’s misgivings and anxieties about signing to a major and “keeping it real” in the face of the punk police.

And above all else, you still know, deep down in your heart, that Against Me! shows are some of the most intense live shows you’ll ever experience. And you’re past the point of crying “sell out” when a band’s outgrown an indie, right? Do we still hate it when our friends become successful? Anyway, we’re just gonna borrow Against Me! for a week, okay? Just a week. Then you get them back."

That was cute... This is aggression:

Against Me! - We Laugh at Danger... (live)

GnarVideo of the Week: Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza - "Carroll 14 Wossman 7"



Thank damn for myspace, sometimes it really does come in handy... I was alerted to this week's little ditty simply from TDTE's profile name on the diespace ("Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza NEW VID POSTED!!!")... Yes, pretty blunt. So anywho, my interest was piqued and I proceeded to traverse into their profile to investigate. Scolling down their page, I came upon the focus of my hunt and giddily anticipated awesometown as it buffered... Oh shit, and boy did i get my belly full of it... The video comes straight out the gates like a bearfight on my forehead. Its a perfect example of the insert-band-in-some-abandoned-location-add- instruments-turn-it-up-to-eleven-and-proceed-to-rock-off-faces equation. At further investigation, apparently there's a second version of this video on its way. One that apparently will apparently be apparently some apparent sort of apparently unrated "director's cut" (obviously or hopefully with cameos from Scarface, Donnie Darko, Gummo, and Jesse Spano in Striptease), but for now we just have to dance to this "band only" version... Oh well, still radface in itself... Take a look-see for yourself, scraps. And wait for the ultimate rock middle finger (the Chris Rock drop of the mic when the song is over) at the end... gnarbeauty.

Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza - "Carroll 14 Wossman 7"

Thursday, December 6, 2007

Heavy Rotation: Fellas of the Belly (Dec. 6)

Check it out. We felt so bad about always being late, now we're fucking early! You gotta love that. If you don't, it's cool. We won't hold it against you.

(It was a weird week of music.)
The Hellion:
01. Refused - The Shape of Punk to Come
02. The American Black Lung - Sudden Departure of Vultures
03. Snapcase - Progression Through Unlearning
04. Smashing Pumpkins - Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness
05. Chuck Ragan - Feast or Famine
06. The Jonbenet - Ugly/Heartless
07. NOFX - Ribbed
08. Hot Water Music - Never Ender
09. Drive Like Jehu - Yank Crime
10. Zombie Apocalypse - This is a Spark of Life

(I hear that shit.)
Spleen Latifa:
01. The Cramps - Flamejob
02. Bomb the Music Industry! - To Leave or Die in Long Island
03. The Red Chord - Clients
04. STD Grabag - STD Grabag
05. This Moment in Black History - It Takes a Nation (of Assholes to Hold Us Back)
06. Armalite - Armalite
07. Zao - The Funeral of God
08. Bikini Kill - Singles
09. Slayer - Undisputed Attitude
10. The Vandals - Sweatin' to the Oldies: Live

Tuesday, December 4, 2007

Momentary Lapse of Evil: This Bike Is A Pipe Bomb - "Murdermurdermurdermurder"



New column alert, fucksabres! ... Drowning ourselves as much as we do in musical racketry, us fellers of the Belly come across many different types of audio than just your run-of-the-mill pummelsome horrificness. But one thing we've started to notice is that even the most mild-mannered of acts like to dabble from time to time in the graphic, in the violent, in the dangerous, in the vicious, in the grotesque, and in the talon... so to speak. And we feel this is one quality of our favorite tunesmiths that we want to accentuate. Be it in their lyrics, in their live shows, in their videos, in their lifestyles, or even just randomly throughout their tenure, we will chronicle their tip-toes-ing into the straight up powerviolence [often times dropping the prefix] while most generally they are tame by our usual gnardefinitions...

So the first addition to this column comes from the Pensacola folkster-punk outfit often touted as one of the most important DIY acts today. Rumored to have assembled as a brash and crass country act, the punk waters ran deep in these kids, and they couldn't ignore the fire [think a bluegrass-stuffed, folk-injected, speed-addict Against Me!, or something]... BUT what enters them into this column is their song "Murdermurdermurdermurder", and more importantly, the lyrics. At first listen, it totally makes you wanna cut a rug in your underwear in your one-bedroom shoebox Brooklyn apartment, hip shakin like the end is near... but on further investigation, the words are grim as hell, and basically straight up wrong. But I'll let you jokers be the judge... Shits straight up fight:

"Pushed my gramma down in front of a train.
I like to watch people wiggle around in pain.
Especially if it's those that I love.
Gonna send'em to the great god above
Strapped a timebomb to my son yesterday.
Told my wife he wanted her to go outside to play.
You know the whole house and yard I blew it up.
I guess now they know I love em both very much...
You know i only kill for decency.
Filling up heaven with people who mean so much to me.
So that if I ever make it there
It won't be filled with people who laugh, point, and stare.
Point and stare."

Monday, December 3, 2007

Get the Fuck Back Together, Idots: Snapcase

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Hailing from the land of the Bills, Buffalo's Snapcase were a sight to behold live, but they also brought the rock while just listening to them in the car or something. I remember seeing them way back in the day when I thought I was punk-as-fuck and just being blown away. In fact, I have seen these cheeky bastards a few times, and they never disappointed... until they broke up. Now they disappoint me, and I'm pissed. So what does that mean? It's time for them to get the fuck back together, of course.

Filled with a raw power like no other, Snapcase brought gnarly hardcore that has proven to be pretty hard to match. Through such stellar releases as Progression Through Unlearning, Designs for Automation, and End Transmission, these rat bastards always managed to show that they were not run-of-mill in any context. Actually, they just showed that they were fucking awesome. I seriously can't even think of a shitty release by them. Even Lookinglasself wasn't all that bad. Well, maybe Bright Flashes was a bit of a disappointment, but I'll give them that one, because they rocked me so hard all those other releases and they are just humans, so they were probably just getting a little tired by that point.

But why go out on a merely decent release? I think they should get back together and make another kick-balls album that will shred my face off. Of course they will need to tour for this album as well. Sounds like a plan. I did hear that they played a few reunion shows in Buffalo and Brooklyn, but I am not in that area, so I want a reunion show out here in the Chi-tilla. And I want a "we're getting back together" announcement at said show. I'm holding my breath.

Snapcase - Coagulate

Heavy Rotation: The Fellas of the Belly (Dec. 3)

Yeah yeah, it's late again. I know. I apologize. It's been a busy week, so get off my back. I know you all have been drooling in anticipation of the Rotation, so let's do this.

The Hellion:
1. Tusk - Get Ready
2. Hot Cross - A New Set of Lungs
3. Bruce Springsteen - Magic
4. Chuck Ragan - Feast or Famine
5. Dimmu Borgir - In Sorte Diaboli
6. Through the Eyes of the Dead - Malice
7. Forcefedglass - Fine Tuned Chaos Motherfuckers
8. Good Riddance/Kill Your Idols - Split
9. Comeback Kid - Broadcasting
10. Gosepl - the Moon is a Dead World

Spleen Latifa:
1. This Bike is a Pipe Bomb - Three Way Tie for Fifth
2. The Locust - New Erections
3. Army of Ponch - ...So Many of You Could Never Win
4. Heavy Heavy Low Low - Everything's Watched, Everyone's Watching
5. Arsonists Get All the Girls - The Game of Life
6. Combat Wounded Veteran - This is Not an Erect, All-Red Neon Body
7. Billy Reese Peters - Almost Heaven
8. The Bronx - The Bronx
9. The Bled - Pass the Flask
10. Mclusky - Mclusky Do Dallas

Sunday, December 2, 2007

Dispatches from Powerviolence: Arsonists Get All The Girls' Bassist Passes Away



Sorry to be the bringer of bad news, but we here at the Belly have been alerted that Pat Mason, the bassist of Arsonists Get All the Girls, has passed away... Rather that give you some flashy, witty verbose account of this, I think it would be more appropriate to let you read the band's official statement:

"We can't describe the pain and sorrow that we all are feeling right now. Last night/early this morning our bassist, Pat Mason, passed away. Pat was an amazing person and brother to all of us. It was his 21st birthday and we all got to see him at band practice. He then proceeded to go out to the bars. He went to sleep at a friend's house. We don't know the full details but when friends tried to wake him up this morning he didn't wake up. We could never trade him for the world and could never replace him. We will always love him and will always be in our hearts. We are going to continue with the band cause that is what Pat would have wanted. There will be a donation account set up soon for his family and possibly a local benefit show as well. Thanks for everyone for the support that the band has since the beginning. We love you all and Pat loves you all as well."

When the donation account is set up, us fellas will be sure to post it up as soon as possible... Our condolences to Pat's friends and family, and especially the band... I guess we didn't know about the game of life.

Friday, November 30, 2007

How 'bout an Interview, Dummy: Greg Puciato of Dillinger Escape Plan



Gather 'round la computadora, numbskulls... It's an important damn day here at the Belly. Today's yack-session went down with the one and only bulldozer of a bruiser, and quite a witty gentleman to boot... Greg Puciato, the throatrazor of Dillinger Escape Plan. Seeing as he needs absolutely no introduction, I won't hold you up anymore from gettin' your fill... Read on, you jerks:

Belly Full of Hell: When did you first realize you were one of the raddest frontmen to ever throat-punch an audience's nervous system?

Greg Puciato: Hahaha are you sure this is the right person? I dunno man I just do what I do and if other people dig it, so be it. I try not to think too much onstage which usually ends up with me not having any idea what happened til I see a video on youtube and I'm like whoa I did that? That's pretty fucking scary haha. Usually when we play people either love me or wanna fight me so I must be doing something right.

BFoH: Can you clue us in to how the changing of the guard went down when Dimitri left and you stepped in to fulfill vicious mic duties?

GP: It was actually so fast that I didn't even have time to process it. I auditioned twice in August 2001, and then after the second time we played our first show two weeks later, and from then on pretty much toured endlessly for five years. I didn't even have time to digest anything until like January 2006 and by then my life was so completely different and I felt like I had gone through a time warp. Nothing happened for 5 years except for endless touring and writing and then when we stopped it was like slamming into a wall after being shot out of a cannon. Needless to say I had a mild meltdown of sorts over the year of 2006 but feel totally comfortable with everything in my life and in DEP now, which is a good thing.

BFoH: Your spin on 999's "Homicide" was quite a powerful track in itself... Is there any chance of future work with Error, or is that now a defunct project?

GP: We always talk about doing it but Atticus is pretty busy working with Trent on NIN music, so if it happens it happens but we aren't really pressing the issue either. As far as side project stuff goes, 90% of my time and energy goes into Dillinger but I have written a lot of other stuff I would like to get out, I will probably put out some side project stuff over the next couple of years, me and John from Candiria are definitely going to get an album out in 2008 under the moniker Spylacopa, we already have it recorded we're just sitting on it til the DEP wave from Ire Works passes.

BFoH: Any rhyme or reason to the choices of covers selected for the Plagiarism EP? Cuz they go pretty stunningly all the way across the board...

GP: Eh, three of them were songs we had played live at various points, and the soundgarden song we just did because we love that band and that song. I would actually love to construct a huge stone statue of Kim Thayil and just put it on stage the way Maiden has Eddie. Just a huge bearded wizard looking guy behind us onstage with walls of feedback coming out of his guitar in between songs. Kim Thayil, come be our mascot.

BFoH: We're pretty hereditarily emaciated-looking here at Belly Full of Hell... are there any tricks of the trade to get slightly as massively powerviolence as you? ... Sometimes we try push-ups... but only sometimes.

GP: Hahaha I am definitely referring to my appearance as "powerviolence" from now on. I dunno man. I try to act like I don't do anything but honestly I am pretty compulsive about working out, it really has nothing to do with trying to look a certain way, its just something that I do to release energy really, and it helps me channel a lot of weird discipline and energy into something.



BFoH: At the Every Time I Die/Poison the Well show two weeks ago, Keith called you on stage to split vocals with him (which was like a religious experience), stating "without Dillinger Escape Plan, our band would not exist" ... Can you let us know how you really (imagine 'really' in italics) feel about those Shitty Dudes in ETID?

GP: Those dudes are the shittiest dudes on earth. Honestly though we love them. They are all good friends of ours and have been for a long time. It was cool playing a song onstage with friends that wasn't a DEP song. Felt completely different than being onstage with DEP. Mindset was totally different.

BFoH: Are you able to divulge at all into Chris's parting ways with DEP to get his prog on? ... or is that all behind-closed-doors kinda stuff?

GP: I mean honestly that Chris situation was going on for a loooong time, it just reached a boiling point and the Coheed offer came along and kinda presented itself as a liferaft/escape vessel of sorts to him at the right time. Worked out for the best for everyone I think, thats sort of how things tend to go. We took a shit situation and reversed it and now we are definitely in the best place we've been in a long time.

BFoH: What was Dillinger's plan of attack by releasing Ire Works in its entirety on your myspace page so far in advance of the release date? ... We're you just itching to get it out there, or did you just know it was that incredible and didn't need to be hidden away 'til Nov. 13th?

GP: We are stupid. Thats the answer. I dunno, it wasn't my idea, I didn't wanna stream it at all. I just woke up one day and there it was. Really what it all comes down to is myspace wanted to put us on their front page thingy but wouldn't do it unless we streamed the record. So we sold our soul for about 2000 more "friends" haha.

BFoH: Some of the songs on Ire Works stray pretty far from the shit usually associated with you guys. Take Black Bubblegum and Sick on Sunday, for example. What influenced you all to take a different approach to some of the songwriting this time around? Did you just want to put a little more booty-shake into some of it?

GP: We listen to so much music and most of it isn't heavy at all in the traditional sense. Most of what I listen to is emotionally heavy in some regard to me personally whether it is considered "heavy" music or whatever. We really don't wanna have any confines or restraints in this band, and the only way we can ensure that people won't be able to do that to us is to exercise our ability to do whatever we want at any time to keep people on their toes.

BFoH: Milk Lizard is fucking awesome. I love how some of that sleazy rock swagger made it into some of the tracks. What were you guys listening to while writing the new record? Was whiskey involved?

GP: I was listening to a lot of shit like super old Aerosmith from when they were almost walking death from drugs, old Rolling Stones when Jagger was higher than a fucking kite barely breathing onstage, Melvins, Jesus Lizard, and that stuff definitely crept into my vocal approach and inflection at times.



BFoH: Whatcha jammin' lately?

GP: Really nothing cause we have been practicing constantly and when we aren't I have been trying to spend all my time with my girlfriend and friends and family because I won't see much of them for the next year.

BFoH: Can you shed a little light on a rumor we heard around the water cooler earlier: I see you guys are going to be having your album release party at Europa in Brooklyn next week... will there be any secret live performance by you fellas?

GP: Shit! I'm late! Guess this question is irrelevant now. I didn't go to that shit anyway haha.

BFoH: Is the band taking all precautions necessary to fight off MRSA?

GP: I've got it and I plan on spreading it across the US on our tour. Everytime somebody thinks its cool that they got the mic, they aren't gonna think so when they have the chills and the shits a few days later.

BFoH: If you could play one show with any band of your choosing, still around or long gone, and then hang out with them at a strip club all night, which band would you want by your side?

GP: Fuuuuuck. This question is insanely hard. Who would have the best time afterwards....Guns N Roses like 1988? Or like late 60's Stones or Mid 70's Aerosmith. You know those dudes went off. Maybe 1987 Metallica so I could try to warn them of the perils of Bob Rock. I dunno. But the real issue is who would go off the most at a strip club. Gotta be Steven Adler from like 1988 era Guns. I pick him actually any era. Even now post-stroke. There you go. Adler over anyone, anytime. That guy partied so hard he got kicked out of Guns at the height of their debauchery, that's some serious shit.

BFoH: Let's say you guys got trapped somewhere. Would YOU have an escape plan?

GP: Me and Ben got trapped in some psycho chick's apartment once and she literally got real psychotic and tried to lock us in while some other guy was in the living room beating his head into the wall over and over. When the chick went to the bathroom we had to climb out the window and run down the fire escape because the scene was so weird that we were actually scared haha.

BFoH: And last, but not least... The most important question... What does it feel like to run on peoples' faces?

GP: Like a lawsuit ready to happen. Then it does happen. And it sucks. They can't win because I'm broke but they just drag me through endless hours of court and paperwork 'til they realize that suing me is basically like trying to get a 95 year old woman's clam wet. Not happening. Haven't tried, but you can IMAGINE WHAT IT WOULD BE LIKE IF YOU DID. Dustbowl city.

Thursday, November 29, 2007

GnarVideo of the Week: A Melvins Two-fer

melvins

Bruisers, you are sooo damn lucky I am in such a gnar-generous mood today... Or maybe your just lucky cuz I'm an indecisive gnarbastard.

Anywho, I woke up this morning, and on the walk to the subway I really had an insatiable urge to just get dropped on by a two-ton slab of heaviness/goodness, and spinning the roulette wheel of my fightPod one golden name seemed to stab me in the retina while everything else faded back into oblivion... It was the only band that could do me justice with my said hunger... The one and only Melvins. So I got to work, knowing that I didn't yet post up the GnarVideo of the Week yesterday, and proceeded to try and track down one of my favorite videos as a youth: the pummelingly grim, x-ray heavy "Hooch" by the Melvins. But much to my dismay, all I could find was a clip of when the video was on Beavis and Butthead, and you could barely hear the song in the background with all the chatterboxing from those two animated numbskulls... So the search continued, until I was reminded of the two gems below. And honestly, I just couldn't decide which one to pick, so you fuckers are gonna get both of 'em jammed straight into your facehole! But seriousado, I love these two videos because they're kind of the same kind of concept [kind of]... Basically, put the Melvins somewhere in a live setting and have an unusual audience. Sounds simple right? But instead, the outcomes are incredibulldozer. "Honey Bucket" has them in a barn in the middle of nowhere playing to a bunch of sheep and asses ('asses' used here as slang for 'donkeys', not slang for 'hipsters'). And "Lizzy" has a wonderful audience of rough-and-tumble lesbians ready to cut you within an inch of your life [*rad]. So enjoy this week's helping of gnar, and be sure to watch out for my favorite moment in "Honey Bucket" (in the first five seconds or so, when the bassist appears to have been standing there, with his arms powerviolencely crossed, then gets his cue and dips straight into battlerock mode in zero seconds flat... glorious). So without further adieu...

Melvins - "Honey Bucket" (the one with the sheep)


Melvins - "Lizzy" (the one with the lesbians)

Featured Live Show: Clutch / The Fall of Troy



**Pre-show Post**
11.29.07 - Alright, you kids of the cloven hoof... Tonight holds another body-rockin' set to add onto your concert to-do list... The massive and mighty Clutch are gracing the Big Crapple with their magical presence! Tonight, at Roseland Ballroom, your friendly neighborhood elephant riders are gonna hit the stage running, and the audience of hundreds will spontaneously grow beards whether they like it or not. Prepare yourself for a festivus of facial hair, and check your shame at the door! So seriously, come on down and let's do some pelvic grooves while escaping from this prison planet. But on a serious note, sadly, Clutch is not the headliner tonight... The drummer-stealing Coheed and Cambria are holding court, which means it will be yet another show where I leave after an opener... sigh... But maybe Bonseaw will handle the covering of that part of the night, since I will most likely be inhaling dead flies and cigarette butts, passed-out face-down on the tile bathroom floor, in a ripped GG Allin tshirt, in some dive by the time they finish their set... Why, you ask? Cuz obviously Clutch demands that I rage... Since I have the body of John Wilkes Booth... Now get to bookin'.

Clutch - "Burning Beard"

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Dispatches from Powerviolence: The Locust Gets Fucked



I'm getting really sick and tired of hearing when this shit happens... I can't even count how many times I've seen bulletins on 'spyspace, blogs around the netterweb, posts on band websites, etc, telling me about how a band's equipment has all been stolen, or portions of it, or all their shit in the van, or whatever. I dunno, it just makes me wanna fuckin pummel everything around me to think about a band who is taking themselves out on the road, getting next to nothing back from it (monetarily), just so they can get their creativity out to us and simply let us rock out with them, then some fuckshitasshole waste-of-skin gets the brilliant idea to take all their belongings and/or gear, the shit they owned, earned, and worked for. It's just really sad, we are such a miserable species. So here is the direct quote about what has happened:

"The Locust's van was broken into and robbed in St Louis over the weekend at a grocery store after the show. Many valuable items were stolen (COMPUTERS, IPODS, CASH, PASSPORTS, RENT MONEY, ETC) and the loss has been devastating to the band. The bands insurance does not cover theft so the loss is on The Locust. Three One G has set up a way to donate to the band if you are interested. Click this link to make a donation!!! Thanks so much."

Please click here to help the fellas out:
The Locust Relief Fund

Sunday, November 25, 2007

Dispatches from Powerviolence: Whitechapel Guitarist Injured

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As some of you may know, Whitechapel guitarist Brandon Cagle was in a motorcycle accident last April and injured his arm pretty severely. Because of this, he is going to have to go on hiatus while Zach Householder takes over full-time. It should be noted that Brandon was not kicked out of the band or anything like that, he is just unable to play at this time. Even with the required surgery, it is possible that he will not be able to use his arm enough to play again for years. Our hearts go out to him, and we hope that he recovers as soon as possible.

In the mean time, there is something we all can do to help him out. Due to a lack of insurance, he is going to have to pay for his surgery out of pocket. The down payment is a whopping ten grand, so he has asked if anyone can spare him a dollar or two to give him a hand. One way to do this is by simply leaving a few bucks in a jar the band will be bringing around with them to shows. There are also ways that you can contact him directly and either send him a little help over Paypal or snail mail. I don't want to put out his info on our blog until I have an okay from him, so I will just put up the Whitechapel Myspace link at the end of this entry. Go to it and read the blog he has posted about his condition. It has all the info you will need there. If you can't find it for some reason, check back here every so often to see if I have posted it as an edit into this entry.

We seriously do wish him the best.

Whitechapel Myspace

Dispatches from Powerviolence: Twelve Gauge Valentine Call It Quits



I dunno the general consensus about this band, but it has been one that really stuck out as a little-engine-rock-monster-that-could for me... I dunno what it was that did it for me, either their pummeling live show that rocked it to 11, their lone full-length with lyric themes and cover art that was straight up Boo Rad-ley (too much?), their shirt merch with awesomely beast/ironic catch phrases like "don't knock it til you rocket" or "just cuz I rock hard doesn't mean I'm made of rock" (with everyone's favorite blue-eyed monster, The Thing, on it), or maybe it was just the fact they were one of the few fresh crop of new powerfight acts that were actually putting good shit out on Solid State (who in my opinion is quickly slipping down the tubes with the handful of garbagewater bands they are pushing more than the good ones). But either way, their going the way of the polar icecaps and trickling away (I'm blaming you, Al Gore).

Only together for five years, they turned a band-for-fun into a touring powerhouse, but have decided to now hang their hats... Just like Planes is doing with their split, Twelve Gauge is giving us a final farewell tour, but pretty much only in the south. Bummertown... And even more bummertown cuz they're bringing The Handshake Murders out with them, who also know how to bring the shredderviolence. Jerks... But these casket junkies also left a positive note on their myspage as well: "Don't expect us all to be giving up on music so soon. By the beginning of the new year we should be able to announce some really big new stuff we have in the oven!!" ... I wonder what it will be... A bun? A baby? A baby made of buns, razorblades, lava, and fuckin rockness? Either way, I'll be waiting to hear... Remember kids, the juggernaut always prevails.

Twelve Gauge Valentine - "99 with an Anchor" (live)

Let It Out, Brother: Graphic Hoodies

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Sometimes we here at BFoH just want to vent. It's good to not bottle everything up inside, and I can't think of any way better to release steam than ranting out to the world. Since pretty much everyone in the entire world reads this blog, it's obviously the perfect place to accomplish such a feat. So what is it that is bugging me so much that I chose to set up an entirely new column for it? Graphic hoodies, that's what.

I fucking hate graphic hoodies. I think they are the platform shoes of our generation. Not only are they completely idiotic looking, but they are a staple for the dumbfuck hipster culture that has been pervading our world for the past few years. I don't get it, hipsters. You guys are all trying to act like you're so different and avant garde, yet every single one of you people are an exact clone of the person before you. Yeah, that's pretty different of you. Womens jeans and graphic hoodies. Sounds good to me, as long as every other idiot that listens to Clap Your Hands Say Yeah has one. You boners are just so anti-conformist that you must conform to your anti-conformity. That really makes a lot of sense, doesn't it? Actually, no, it doesn't. And on top of it, you people use the most ridiculous ways of trying to show your hipster status, graphic hoodies included.

Unfortunately, I work in a building that has recently started leasing floors to the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Now, being forced to hang out around art schools is pretty rough in the first place, but the Art Institute is by far the most disgusting venue for these loser I have ever seen. Swarms of hipsters are just lurking around, reading Dry, wearing graphic hoodies, and eating tofu. Self-righteousness oozes from their pores, at least the pores that are not covered by hairstyles that include mullets and Hammer steps. It must suck when it gets kind of cold and these douchebags have to decide whether they should put up their graphic hood and hide their awesome hair or just brave it out. It's really insane.

So why make the topic of this graphic hoodies and not just hipsters in general? Well, it's because these stupid sweatshirts are the most recent way of ensuring everyone knows where one stands on the hipster ladder. They all fucking have them. The more obnoxious it is, the hipper you are. I've seen some with really stupid graphics. Money, buildings, shoes. What will be next? I say these people should just jump straight to wearing a hoodie that has the name of every hip band they have ever listened to on it, you know, like those basketball jeans with all the teams. Those jeans say "I like basketball. I like basketball so much that I will not just support one team, but I will support EVERY team, as long as it's a basketball team." Since hipsters can't decide for themselves what music they like, if they get a hoodie with every hip band, it will say, "I like being hip. In fact, I like the fact that people know I'm hip over whether or not I can think for myself and actually pick out good music, so I'll just wear this monstrosity that has every band Pitchfork said was cool on it." Maybe I'll sell this clothing. I could get rich off of Hipster A's parents' money. Sweet. Money is always better when you know it's someone's parent's.

So there you have it. That was my first rant. It felt good. It felt healthy. Plus, I managed to come up with a killer business plan while writing it. My next post will be from my yacht.

Heavy Rotation: Fellas of the Belly (Nov. 25)

So we fell a little behind here in the 10th dimension of Bell, but that's because we were gorging ourselves for Thanksgiving and rocking out every night to ensure morning headaches. So this installment of Heavy Rotation is for last week, and don't worry, cuz we'll be on top of it at the end of this week as usual.

The Hellion:
1. Cursed - Two
2. Opeth - Ghost Reveries
3. Thee More Shallows - Book of Bad Breaks
4. All Shall Perish - The Price of Existence
5. Curl Up and Die - Unfortunately We're Not Robots
6. Whitechapel - The Somatic Defilement
7. Leftover Crack - Mediocre Generica
8. Red Sparowes - At the Soundless Dawn
9. The Sainte Catherines - Dancing for Decadence
10. Standstill - The Ionic Spell

Spleen Latifa:
1. Morning Glory - This is No Time ta Sleep
2. Architect - All is Not Lost
3. Hour of the Wolf - Power of the Wolf
4. Western Addiction - Cognicide
5. GG Allin - Dirty Love Songs
6. Animosity - Animal
7. A Life Once Lost - Iron Gag
8. Off With Their Heads - All Things Move Toward Their End
9. Psyopus - Our Puzzling Encounters Considered
10. Swarm of the Lotus - The Sirens of Silence

Psycho Killa:
1. Between the Buried and Me - Colors
2. Acacia Strain, The - The Dead Walk
3. Dimmu Birgir - In Sorte Diaboli
4. I, Robot - Et Cetera
5. Converge - Jane Doe
6. Russian Circles - Enter
7. Love Like... Electrocution - Self-Titled
8. Cex - Starship Galactica
9. American Werewolves - We Won't Stay Dead
10. Against Me! - Reinventing Axl Rose

Dispatches from Powerviolence: Apocalypse Hoboken to Release Live DVD



I don't know much about this radtastic DVD coming out, other than that it's apparently the second installment of the new Door2Door series of live punkster show DVDs coming out (the first was Street Brats, I believe)... but the man himself, Cap'n Todd Pot, alerted me of this tasty little gem through a bulletin from his my[but obviously not personally my]space 'brofile. The trailer below is a kinda bland, but it definitely got a little rise in the denim quarters of my attire (and im not talking about this vicious sleeveless jean jacket with the Motorhead patch on the back). Anywho, it (titled "Hopeless & Fucked") looks like it's gonna be packed with that delicious goodness only Hoboken can deliver (more specifically, the entire live set from their reunion show on December 28th, 2006 in Chi-town), so pick that shit up in January, knuckleheads!

photo by Patrick @ msigarmy.com

Dispatches from Powerviolence: Shits Just Got Official



Guess what, cutthroats?? The storm-full of the Hell Belly just got a lot more professional... Not that we already didn't think we were pros at this sort of thing already... But now we no longer run the risk of being taken for some overweight sociopaths, sweating out droplets of Slim Jims and Jolt Cola at four in the morning in our legal gaurdians' basements, flaming jerkholes on message boards like it was 1998... We've officially shook the ".blogspot" from our violencebranches and are goin' down on it solo. So if you're still lost in the lurch, you no longer have to type in bellyfullofhell.blogspot.com into your trusty interweb address bar... Simply dash it with a sexy www.bellyfullofhell.com and you will be teleported to the wonderland of danger and intrigue, rife with chaos and shitty facial hair. This shit is getting even more talon by the second, so keep your nose to our powerviolence grindstone, and watch the dames flock in your general direction seventeen ways til Sunday... Now, get beast with yourself... Tube!

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

So Sick It Hurts: Between the Buried and Me - "Colors"



I’m busting onto the scene like a bat out of hell, thanks Meatloaf. Who am I you ask? Well the Wu-Tang Clan rapped about me, Hour of the Wolf wailed about me, Hitchcock scribbled about me, and most of northern Wisconsin fears me; I’m Psycho Killa. Spelled with an “a” instead of “er,” to stay MTV generation compatible. ... So what if I just called myself by my pen name? I’m just trying to burn up some space here because I’ve never written anything besides someone’s order down at Scooby’s. I worked there as fry boy for 3 years and was elevated to cashier before I was offered this gig for a “brand new form of interneting” according to the fellas of Belly Full of Hell. I guess they invented blogs or something and…wait you wanted to know about the album right? OK, OK, here you go.

I was informed of this album by my friend Hallur Hallsson, yes he’s Icelandic, with these words:

“It’s… it rips. You just have to listen to it.”

So I took him up on that one. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed every other sonic adventure I’ve heard from these fellas, seemed a no-brainer. As I read into the album a little bit I realized it was receiving a lot of hype. I mean the album has a “trailer” for fuck’s sake. They also match “the brilliance of Pink Floyd, King Crimson, Tool, and Mastodon,” according to Victory Records website. Bah to you, Victory Records! I’m not really a fan of people comparing themselves to Pink Floyd, they always fall well short. Although nothing as ground breaking as Pink Floyd, the atmospheres present at times in Colors is reminiscent at times of the Floyd. I think Rick Wright, wind instrumentalist turned keyboardist, would be pleased with the comparison. Nonetheless this album rips and I think Between the Buried and Me have definitely catalyst themselves to the forefront of the progressive metal genre.

Colors definitely comes at you from many different angles. “Foam Born (A) The Backtrack” starts out lighter with some sultry piano and accompanying singing that gives way to some wondrously, synth-tastic melodies. Shagrath style vocals start the song morphing into “(B) The Decade of Statues,” a definitely heavier track with a chorus that seems to be played upon some foreign mountain top overlooking the sea as a blood moon rises. Yea, I went there bitches. BTBAM (always sounds like “Bat ‘um” in my head) provides yet another stellar song set that is a journey within each and have taken a step further with this album as it’s meant to flow from track to track. “Informal Gluttony” takes on the same foreign feel as the track gets ready to pummel you about a minute into it. As “Informal Gluttony” fades into didgeridoo and percussion goodness the first epic of the album bursts into your ears. “Sun of Nothing” clocks in at ten minutes fifty-eight seconds and provides you with a short Man Man style break. This track like the other epics and the album as a whole rips through you, sheds up the sound waves, and sails between many styles of music. Oh, I also forgot to tell you there is a western saloon style banjo breakdown in so be prepared for anything.

Just remember the Colors journey is meant to be a complete one, at least for your first time around. So time to burst your virginity with this album and bleed for metal!


Here you can check out BTBAM playing "Informal Gluttony" live. Make sure to listen for the horrible off-beat clapping by the crowd in the beginning.


Tuesday, November 20, 2007

So Sick It Hurts: Man Man - "Six Demon Bag"

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Do you like carnivals and cotton candy that stains your whole mouth and face blue? Obviously. Have you always dreamed of capturing that feeling in music but then making it even weirder? If you said no, you're a fucking liar, and I'm calling you out on it. You can't sneak your bullshit past a gnarly glass-eater like me! So then it's settled, you love carnivals, cotton candy, and interesting music. Well, this is your lucky day. It's even luckier than the time you "accidentally" grabbed that sweet set of taters on that broad at the truck stop and then her burly man-beast of a husband slipped and fell on the freshly pissed-on floor before he could beat the living shit out of you. And why are you luckier than that? Because Man Man exists, that's why.

This album is fucking talon, and your homeboy-ass needs to go get it right now. Finish this article when you get back from picking it up.

...

Okay, so you got it? Sweet. Did you listen to it on the drive home in your Ford Explorer? If you did, then you know why I'm so stoked every time I put this bad motherfucker on. You also understand why I was talking about carnivals, cotton candy, and rickety rides that haven't passed inspection for forty years, especially when you heard those opening tracks, right? Yeah, I know, I didn't talk about the rides, but I should have. For those of you that decided to ignore my stellar advice, I'll let you in on what you're missing. These Philadelphia dudes create one hell of a musical style, which encompasses everything from rock to soul to, of course, circus music. It's so awesome. When I hear it, I want to swing from trapeze and tame lions and do some other carnivally shit. Every song is perfect for singing along to. It's also perfect for playing "what the hell is that instrument?", since these guys use everything and anything that makes some sort of musical noise. It's totally bitchin'.

I really think it's pretty close to impossible to actually get a feel of what I'm talking about unless you listen to it, so you should do just that. I think the best way to experience this band is to eat a bunch of acid and lock yourself in your room while blasting the jams. The combination of such strange music and you swatting at imaginary clowns is sure to get your parents to admit you to a mental hospital, and that's pretty cool because you'll probably have some killer stories to tell your friends when you get out. Anything to help with your popularity status, nerdbomber.

Check out the hell-slayers playing "Feathers" and "Engwish Bwudd" live.

Monday, November 19, 2007

Dispatches from Powerviolence: Gaza Cancels Tour

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It's a bummer, but the chaotic destroyers Gaza have officially canceled their tour. According to their Myspace page, a combination of van troubles and an unfortunate death have made it next to impossible for the band to travel and bring the ruckus to a city near you. On the blog outlining all the info, many apologies were stated, and it really sounds like the band feels bad for having to bail. Apparently they are shooting for another tour to start in early spring, so just sit tight.

In the meantime, make sure to listen to I Don't Care Where I Go When I Die, which is seriously a straight-up fantastic album. I can only imagine how much power and insanity would have been brought if I had gotten a chance to see them live. Maybe next time, hombres.

Dispatches from Powerviolence: The Belly Gets a Myspace?

Oh, Myspace, what will we do with you? Well, setting up an account actually makes sense for a few reasons. First, it makes us look popular with a bunch of friends. Second, it gives us an easier way to communicate with all our loyal fans. See, if we get some gnar shit we want to let the world know about asap, then we can send out a bulletin or message via Myspace. That way, you can see what's going on. Plus, you can add us as a friend and leave us comments and messages as to how hella we are doing. Or, you can make fun of us and try to make us get a life (which we won't). Either way, it's fun for everyone. So add us now, bruisers! You know you want to.

Belly Full of Hell Myspace

Sunday, November 18, 2007

Get the Fuck Back Together, Idiots: Planes Mistaken For Stars



Don't weep just yet, bloodhounds... Sure, our buddies in the PMFS camp have decided to call it a day, but unlike a lot of bands nowadays that just split up and alert their rabid fanbases by posting a lackluster BS post on their myspace page saying a quick "toodles, it's been fun" and sauntering off from whence they came, Planes have decided to grant us with a farewell US tour. And thank damn for that, cuz I missed them last time they slid through the area... But I still gotta throw a resounding "Ugh" out there on this one. There isn't many whiskey-soaked, raw powerhouses cutting their teeth on the rock'n'roll® game nowadays... and these dudes single-handedly made me wish i could grow my hair shittily long, swear off shirts, grow a fancy beer gut, cultivate a hellish beard, and speckle myself with arbitrary tattoos. Who's gonna make me wanna do that anymore?? Jerks.

But not only the surface mystique, these bruisers' music was even more importantly something to behold... it was gritty, it was passionate, it was coarse, and it was unforgiving. You all know how big of fans we here at the Belly are of anything with an element of 'dangerous' to it... and these guys simply brought the baptism by fire. And side note, they even have a song that is quickly gaining to be one of my personal faves, and coincidentally shares the same name of this very blog among blogs... Hella. And not only that, these guys had such a way with vernacular that was second to none. Obviously by picking one of the greatest band names in gnarhistory, but also with albums called "Up in Them Guts", "Fuck with Fire", "Spearheading the Sin Movement", "Knife in the Marathon", and songs with titles like "Knuckle Hungry", "Dying By Degrees", "Thunder in the Night Forever!", "To Spit a Sparrow", "Hollowpoint and Whiskey", "Killed by Killers who Kill Each Other", "Dancing on the Face of the Panther", and the aforementioned "Belly Full of Hell", these guys knew how to bring the radness, and make you wish you could embody a tenth of the sheer power and bullet-riddled nature these guys carried in their swagger.

So anyway, enough with my nonsense... These tried and true road-dogs are going to leave a giant hole in the heavy underground scene. Not only did they open my eyes to a lot of incredible bands that I wouldn't have found if they didnt drag 'em out on the road with them, but they had a tenacity and resilience that was truly an inspiration. See ya on Saturday, ya gnarly fucks... It will indeed be a funeral for a friend.

Planes Mistaken for Stars - "Spring Divorce"

Friday, November 16, 2007

Heavy Rotation: The Fellas of the Belly (Nov. 16)

It's Figgidy-Fridamn... and that can only mean one thing. It's time for the weekly round-up of the wax we been spinning all week. I'll toss up my 10 now, and I'm sure The Hellion and Bonesaw will follow suit soon enough, so be patient, cool cats... So jot 'em all down, turn on, tune in, and drop out......... Get ripped!

Spleen Latifa:
1. The Tony Danza Tap Dance Extravagnza - Danza II: the Electric Boogaloo
2. Coalesce - 0:12 Revolution In Just Listening
3. Fucked Up - Epics in Minutes
4. Small Brown Bike - Collection
5. Mondo Generator - Dead Planet
6. Pig Destroyer - Prowler in the Yard
7. D.O.A. - Hardcore '81
8. Fear Before the March of Flames - Art Damage
9. Engineer - The Dregs
10. Off With Their Heads - All Things Move Toward Their End.

Bonesaw:
1. The Dillinger Escape Plan - Ire Works
2. Between The Buried and Me - Colors
3. The Absence - Riders of the Plague
4. Om - Variations on a Theme
5. High on Fire - Death is This Communion
6. Horse the Band - A Natural Death
7. In Flames - Colony
8. Iron Maiden - Piece of Mind
9. Dragon Force - Inhuman Rampage
10. Megadeth - Rust in Peace

The Hellion:
1. Die Kreuzen - Die Kreuzen
2. Opeth - Ghost Reveries
3. Knights of the Abyss - Juggernaut
4. Nasum - Grind Finale
5. Killwhitneydead. - Never Good Enough for You
6. Deicide - The Stench of Redemption
7. The Handshake Murders - Usurper
8. Black Flag - Slip It In
9. Dimmu Borgir - In Sorte Diaboli
10. Vomitory - Terrorize Brutalize Sodomize

Thursday, November 15, 2007

Dispatches from Powerviolence: The Bronx Enter Studio for Two Albums



Sorry this damn juicy (and awesometown) nugget o' news took a little bit to get up here on the Belly, I must be slippin' in my ripe old age... Sidenote, I'm starting to think it may not be attractive to talk about your sore back when you're a month and some change away from 25... but I do it anyway... for the ladies... or for the embarrassing uncomfortableness at cocktail parties... But it's like what my old man always says, you can't have one without the other.... So where were we? Oh, yes, those fun-loving scamps, The Bronx! To bring you up to speed, the nothing-short-of-amazing SoCal group with the NYC namesake played their last show a little under two weeks ago and are now embarking on their much needed hole-up in the studio to work on new jazz. You may be saying to yourself "Hey, Spleen, who the f-bomb gives an s-h-bomb? Make with the funny, review some shit, and then talk more about your back. You're wasting my rest-a-warm-laptop-on-my-genitals-and-watch-reruns-of-Scrubs time!" ... Oh, am I, impatient Belly reader? What you may not have known is that The Bronx is heading into the studio to churn out not just one aural gem, but TWO incredible albums (**the author gives himself full right to deem any yet-to-be-recorded Bronx albums 'incredible' because if you think that they wont be, you're a damn fool)... And not only are they recording two albums (which will both follow suit and be more self-titled records, just like the last two... *hilarious*) one will be the dead punk we've come to know and love from the boys (titled, obviously, The Bronx) and the other will be there own brand of MARIACHI music (aptly titled, El Bronx... *again, hilarious*). So expect sheer, fuckin' radness to the maxxx by the one and only band who was tapped to play Black Flag in that biopic about Darby Crash that's taken like four years to come out, and also expect tons of junk-cuppage like the kind you're being subjected to in their photo up there... Fuckin A.

So come dance with me... on the inside... as we both watch this wonderful example of The Bronx's all-around ruckus and riotous live shows that just feel like it should have "PARTYTIME ROCK'N'ROLL BASTARD" tattooed on the inside of its bottom lip, and it always wants to show everyone when it gets drunk, but when it does and it pulls down said bottom lip, you just see how gross its teeth are from years of cigarettes, black coffee, and whiskey, and that kind of makes you wanna throw up, but throw up in a totally awesome way, cuz you know that this dude's seen some shit, and you can only hope you can see some shit like the shit he's seen when he was in the shit...... shit...... It's just that damn gnar. Deal with it.

The Bronx - "Heart Attack American" (live in Vegas)

Dude, Let's Make a Video, This Song Rips: Kreator - "Tormentor"

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Alright, so this isn't just the usual "Let's just play a song on the radio and jump around like idiots while lip-syncing like Madonna" video. It's better. While I can't tell if the kid with the guitar is actually playing along (and if he is, nice job, kid), it's very obvious that the d-bagger with the wannabe mohawk is definitely using his real voice, and that's why this video is so fucking funny.

Puberty always hits at the wrong time. For this kid, it couldn't have been worse. Not only is he probably just starting to get interested in girls, but he also thinks he's metal, and I am pretty sure metal and puberty don't mix. In fact, the proof is right here. This fucking dork is trying to scream along to Kreator, but instead his voice is cracking all over the place. Does he even realize it's happening? Was he just rocking so hard in his room while his mom was making dinner and his dad got drunk on the couch watching reruns of "My Name is Earl" that he never noticed his voice sounds worse than the Partridge Family episodes when all their voices started to crack? I don't know, man, but this is so worth the watch. Homeboy's totally thinking he's a badass with those wristbands on his arms and knowing he just saw an episode of "Jackass" for the first time.

There's nothing more to say. Give this a watch.

So Sick It Hurts: Knights of the Abyss - "Juggernaut"

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Knights of the Abyss. Hmmm, pretty dumb name if you ask me. But do we review names here at BFoH? No, at least not at this point. Do we review albums? Yes. Do we occasionally put up albums that are so sick it's like having your brains blasted out? Fuck yes. So stupid name aside, I'm going to let you all in on a little secret: Knights of the Abyss shred. Boy, do they shred. And look at that fucking album art! Is that a spaceship going to attack a star?! Holy fuck. That's so ridiculous it's awesome.

While I'd be happy to just have the cover art, I got an added bonus with the music. It's somewhere in between death metal and deathcore, depending on how you want to look at it. The vocals aren't usually as guttural as normal death metal, but they get there sometimes. The music's speed is paced closer to that though. It's pretty fast and has an overall extreme heaviness to it. Kind of like that heavy feeling you get when you find out your wife was fucking your family dog. Yeah, pretty close to that, I would say. It never gets too mathy or techy or anything, but this record wasn't made to do that. It was just made to make you love aggressive metal even more. It was also made to make you want to set puppies on fire and throw them at your grandparents. I bet your grandma and grandpa wouldn't even get mad. They'd probably be thrashing around the old folks home playing air guitar until one of their hearts gave out. I hope to do that when I'm old. Death by thrashing. Put it on my gravestone.

So I would go pick this album up if I were you. Cool artwork and hella music. Can you go wrong?

Here they are playing "Hadlock." I've seen better crowds at shows, but I bet these guys are in North Dakota or something.

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

So Sick It Hurts: See You Next Tuesday - "Parasite"

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Proclaiming themselves to be making "brutal grind for brutal dudes," these four Michigan gentlemen are doing just that and more, since I'm sure there are one or two un-brutal dudes or broads out there that listen to SYNT. But here at the Belly, we are totally brutal, so we love their idea. I am still waiting for a band to make "lazy grind for lazy dudes" though, because I could get behind that more than anything. I've been known to be pretty lazy here and there. Mostly "here," because to be lazy "there" would require me to do something in getting to wherever "there" is, and that in itself is very non-lazy.

Oh, you want more info? Brutal grind for brutal dudes didn't explain enough? Alright, alright. Well, to begin, these guys are pretty brutal. And they play grind. Some dudes listen to it.

Fuck! You want more?! You Bellions are getting a little too greedy and expecting. Why do we always have to tell you about everything? Can't people just go and buy the disc? What if I was about to go put chains on the tires of my car for winter? What if I was going to run out and get some moisturizer for my pretty face? What if I was going to yell at that broseph who's dog won't shut the fuck up and shits in my yard? Well, lucky for you, I don't have a car, my face is the complete opposite of pretty and smooth, and I don't have a yard for any dogs to leave steamy Avenged Sevenfold albums (i.e. crap) in. So I guess I'll just tell you about the record.

It is brutal, and it is grind, but it's also hella. I saw these guys live and they tore shit up. They were so amazing that time stopped and we entered another dimension for a few seconds. The only way we were able to get back to Euclidean space and time was because SYNT were picked up in a helicopter by the government and flown away for experimentation. Believe it, it's true.

But in all seriousness, as we here at the Belly always are, See You Next Tuesday is pretty gnar. (That sentence just rhymed. If you missed it, read it again stressing "are" and "gnar".) They are fairly technical, which is always a plus, but I wish there was another guitar. One guitar just falls a little short. If these mans had another six-string shredder, my head would explode. The vocals are killer, with all octaves being hit perfectly. The singer's got a pretty decent range, and that is fun for everyone, even people with MRSA. The songs are short and fast, but what do you expect? No epics here, just straight up carnage. I think this album comes in at just over 18 minutes for 14 songs, so if you have 20 minutes to spare, instead of jerking off to your mom's Victoria Secret catalog, listen to Michigan's finest.

Here's the band playing "8 Dead, 9 if You Count the Fetus" in what looks like the middle of the street.

Dude, Let's Make a Video, This Song Rips: Pig Destroyer - "Thumbsucker"



It's that time of the week again... The time to shine a spotlight on the musical dunces that surround us. The geniuses who think the only way to pay homage to one of their favorite bands and/or songs is by disgracing it and turning it into a mockery on public display... Seriously, this shit never gets old to us here at the Belly.

So anywho, I stumbled across this little ditty while looking for the latest GnarVideo of the Week (more specifically, while searching for the new Pig Destroyer video that I've heard so much about, which may make its own GnarVid debut next week, but I'm not sure yet)... Oh, but the horror, children!! I really cannot wait til you hit the magical play button and bask in all its un-rad glory with me. There is a split second right at the beginning of the video, right after the 'singer' douche says "Is it recording?", that I want to believe the guy holding the cardboard cut-out of a truly righteous guitar (a cut-out that he sadly probably spent a very long time coloring and taping up to give it that extra snazz for this high-quality rockin' production he was about to star in) thought to himself "Dudes, I know this song totally rips, but maybe we shouldnt make this video, I mean, its gonna be on the damn internet, anyone will be able to see how we really are a bunch of failure bombs. Guys? You know what I mean guys? Oh shit, the song's on, it's time to fuckin shred." Well, maybe that thought didn't cross his mind, but there definitely is something endearing about his deer-in-the-headlights look whilst awaiting to rock.... Sidenote, is it just me, or is the dude playing drums on a kit fashioned out of a school desk and weights for lifting reeeally hitting every fill and beat perfectly? Brother in the Napalm shirt seriously needs to find a new group of friends and start a real band asap.

So Sick It Hurts: The Partisan Turbine - "Surgical Assault"

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To start off, I am going to tell you right now that if you think you're going to walk into your local record store and pick this gem up, you're probably wrong. I think there were only 100 copies made. Maybe they pressed more at some point without my knowledge, but the last I heard, it was very limited. And that's just too bad, because this shit will fist-fuck you so hard you'll bleed for years to come.

The Partisan Turbine hail from New York, and apparently they have a lot to piss them off out there, because the boys in TPT decided to create a band that plays some of the greatest goregrind/death metal out there. This stuff is insanely brutal. The vocals are ridiculous. There are all the death metal favorites: pig squeals, high-pitched screams, and the obvious growls of destruction. In fact, they are so terrifying, if I heard these guys practicing in an alley somewhere, I'd throw my own girlfriend in there for them to eat as I ran away. They're that scary! The last song on this record is called "Vaginal Secretion," and that is spooky in itself, because I can't think of one type of vaginal secretion you want to see.

The bummer about this album is that it's technically an EP. There are 9 tracks, but a majority of them are instrumentals and other weirdness. But don't fret, they are working on a new album that is going to be released soon on Siege of Amida, I believe. It might be Ferret though, since the two teamed up. Either way, keep your eyes open for the new shit, because you're going to want it. While you wait though, make sure to pick up Surgical Assault, because this album will infest your body with maggots that will not stop feeding until your entire body has been gorged upon... or something.

Here they are playing to a sold-out crowd at Fin's Pub. I don't know where Fin's Pub is, but I don't think I'm going to be going anytime soon.

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

GnarVideo of the Week: Crowpath - "Chased, Caught, and Charged"

Alright, lemme just shoot straight from the hip with this one... So you know my intentions with this post... A) I woulda picked a different track for Crowpath to make a video for, cuz they honestly have made some sick grindy-groovy stuff in the past, and this isn't one of my faves. B) Please ignore the stale energy of "live" Crowpath in this video (it reminds me of shitty high school metal bands we used to see at skate parks back in the day). C) .... oh yes, amazing C) Take note of the stunning concept and the execution of said concept in this video, because THAT is why it has been made this week's GnarVideo. And the concept in question is Crowpath playing soooooooo gnarly that it makes the audience in attendance (oddly, a weirdo creepfactory reception of some sort) bleed from every oriface in their heads!! Why has no one else ever thought of this?? .... I'm looking at you Ted Nugent... With your sexy riffs that can change old beater cars into rad convertibles, or dumpy broads into hot chicks in string bikinis... Get on the ball, Nuge. The kids want blood. Anyway, not only the oriface bleeding, but wherever they got this crazy cast of characters for the audience is beyond me. I just wanna hang out with this failure flock all weekend! Sit back and enjoy, Bellions, if only for the reception scenes...

Crowpath - "Chased, Caught, and Charged"

Monday, November 12, 2007

Make Another Album, You Jerks: Sex Positions

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So what the hell is the deal with Sex Positions anyway? Well, according to Deathwish, a whole bunch of craziness has been going on. Let me sum it up in as few words as possible. Apparently all the original members except one left the band shortly after their first, and only, album was released. So the remaining member, Eric, put together a whole new outfit and went out touring in support of the record. After this, the band went on a European tour as a four-piece, but sans Eric. So now we have a band with no original members playing shows under the name Sex Positions. Then, three of the other original members that had left in the first place decided to pick up two other dudes and set up a show still using the band's name. Sounds pretty fucked up to me, but whatever. I guess those other guys that were not in the first ensemble are shit out of luck. But the good news is, the original singer is in with the other two guys that were there in the first place, so the Sex Positions that will be touring now will have the voice that made Sex Positions Sex Positions.

Under the circumstances, I am glad to report that I do not have to write a "Get Back Together" column, and I can just try to get these musical-chair-loving fools to make another fucking album. The self-titled record was killer, and I think the world is looking to hear some more of the band's crazy hardcore/electronic/piss-fueled rock. Sex Positions managed to make me want to break things and then spit on whatever I had just destroyed. I don't even know why. Probably just because I bet SP would do that. The music is hella gnar and mega fun. It's got a stiff upper lip and hasn't shaved in months. It's clothes are all ratty and covered in vomit consisting of rat poison and pussy juice. If Sex Positions music was an animal, it would be a rabid saber-toothed tiger with three normal legs and a bionic leg that shot lasers out of it. It would not be tamed under any circumstances.

So I ask you, Sex Positions, to bring us more rock. And by the way, if you want to use the image of that tiger on your album, it's cool by me.

Sorry, but I can't find anything but porn when I search for a video of the band. Not to mention that since all this crazy shit went down with them, a website is not really existent. So just look at this other picture and shove it.

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Old Timers: Crass - "The Feeding of the 5000"

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Hello again, fiends of the Belly. I know the Spleen just did an Old Timers, but I had been meaning to get this one up for awhile and never got to it. But don't worry, because I am bringing it to you now.

For many, this album will come as no surprise, and really, I think it would have made a good first entry to this section. I don't know why it wasn't. I guess I just wasn't using the old noggin earlier. And for those of you that are confused as to why I am making such a big stink about this little gem, let me explain. The Feeding of the 5000 is the first album released by one of punk's most important bands: Crass. These guys (and girls) were one of the greatest examples of a DIY band ever. They were also at the forefront of the anarcho-punk movement, although some have said, and I tend to agree after careful attention to their lyrics and lifestyles, that the band represented a view more closely related to libertarian communism. Either way, they were extremely political both in music and action.

So why The Feeding of the 5000 and not Christ: The Album, for example? Well, as I said, this was their first album, and that is pretty important with a band like this, since the sound was pretty new. Not only that, but it has one of the best anti-religion songs ever as its opener. In fact, the original release (1978) was not able to actually carry the aforementioned song, entitled "Reality Asylum," because the plant pressing the records refused to make them since the lyrics were considered to be blasphemy. Crass pulled the song and initially left the first 2 minutes of the record blank, with the song title being "The Sound of Free Speech." It was not until Crass set up their own label and re-released the album in 1981 that the song made it to pressing. The track is called "Asylum" on this pressing.

But beyond this, all the music carries a message that still holds true today in our world of ideological politics and the world's laziness in any sort of reaction to the problems presented by the egotistical nutjob politicians and the corporate, asinine bullshit fed to mainstream consumers everyday, although I guess it's peoples' own fault for being the said mainstream sheep and eating up the slop they are presented with. Crass were all about anti-religion, feminism, gay rights, environmentalism, anti-consumerism, and peace, and you can get a good dose of all those themes on this record. But also, the music is just, plain good.

So if you have never listened to this album, do it now. Otherwise, re-listen to it. It's killer, man.

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