Things that are currently rocking my boat.

Skindred live two weeks ago. Three bands over as many hours, not bad value for a tenner. First up were local Skindred rip offs Daywalkers (or sumpthing like that). Not really got much good to say about this crew, but they seemed to have brought their own fans who liked them. Multi Purpose Chemical was the band of the evening for me, precision based metal core, tight and funky with a gruff vocals with a serious sense of humour going on. Skindred? Well when they could be bothered to play during their 50 min set they were blinding.

Devin Townsend. Seriously getting into Terria, his solo album that explores the theme of the element of earth (no really). Spacey, twiddly heartfelt metal that I initially overlooked on first listen. But bugger me he’s released two more records lately that have completely gone under my metal radar. New Devin Townsend Band,SYNCHESTRA and a new Strapping Young Lad lp , New Black. The latter I have on Download now, and will buy tomorrow when its out in the shops. Its allot more pop metal than the last lp Alien, but only in the sense that that lp was a dense noisy affair. Defiantly liking it on first listen. catchy and unapologetically METAL!!

Today started off with the mother of panic attacks. I haven’t had a full blown one in years and it took me by surprise this morning when it kicked in. Made it into work though. Feeling a bit shaky, but kinda strangely giddy. I have the office to myself so I spent the morning happily listening to Janes Addiction’s Ritual Lo Habituall (my fave summer album of all time, and it certainly is summer here in Manchester) and getting a shed load done.

Then at lunch went into the arch Satan that is HMV for a browse. Certainly wasn’t expecting to see the new Tool album, 10,000 days, out at a very reasonable price (£12). Worth it for the cd package alone, a 3d art extravaganza using images by my favourite artist . Listening to the lp now and although its only the first listen it is very good. Highly Recommended for fans of prog, metal and intelligent rock music. Probably a bit more assessable than Lateralus their last lp, but Tool are one of those bands who I will immediately buy unlistened to. Awesome stuff.

Quiet night into tonight, before going out to see Killing Joke tomorrow after a few beers with the boys.

Music I have more than a passing time for

Had a cheeky night out in Manchester last Saturday. Cheeky because I should really be devoting my energy to packing, and because at my age I should know better.
My Manchester Rock Oddessy

Damn forgot how mind blowingly fantastic this album was 😀

To this man shouting and growling

Woke up early awoken by my cat Holly gently clawing my face! Swearing and feeding ensued along with the realisation I still ached from Saturday night and worse than this the crap music that they were playing at Sandanestas was still echoing through my brain. The Streets , arrrghh! Franz Ferdinand, please god no! The Kaiser Chiefs, just say no to limp wristed indie gitar bollocks.

Temporarily brushed this aside by doing my morning Chi kung exercises, and while they nicely woke me up and started to sedate the pain I was resolved to a day of dull aches and poor temper. “Oh well these things will happen if you drink your shoe size in pints at the weekend” I thought morosely

Then an amazing thing happened. I brought my mp3 player back from the dead, by the simple act of feeding it a battery, and I causally put on the headphones the thump, crash bang whoop fish of System of a Down streaming through them. Suddenly energy and vitality started to return. Fast forward to a couple of tracks by britnoisemongers of yesteryear, Fudge Tunnel and Godflesh, and I was skipping round the room which was becoming more luminous by the moment. “Eh calm down lad, less giddy like, got to go to work” I thought as I quickly shaved before setting off.

On the train noise was the order of the day, with Strapping Young Lad’s latest Alien being enjoyed, a couple of tracks of the The Damned’s Machine Gun Ettiqutte all topped off with about 15 minutes of pure quality from keefybabe’s “Widnes Years”.

Feeling completely 110% now. I’m off to Vinyl Exchange (second hand record shop on Oldham Road in Manchester) this lunch to get me some Godflesh and/or Fudge Tunnel.

As the Damned once said “Noise is for heroes, we’ve got music for zeroes” Too effing right!

Shovel Headed Kill Machine by Exodus

Track listing:
01. Raze
02. Deathamphetamine
03. Kharma’s Messenger
04. Shudder To Think
05. I Am Abomination
06. Altered Boy
07. Going Going Gone
08. Now Thy Death Day Come
09. 44 Magnum Opus
10. Shovel Headed Kill Machine

This album wins two awards from me.
1. Most ridiculus title.
2. Most kick ass thrash album in years!

Oh yes kiddies make no mistake about this is a proper shreading-moshing-stomping-daka-daka-boom of a thrash album. Like Metallica upto Master of Puppets, Slayer Reign in Blood, Anthrax Amoung the Living. The most amazing thing is that it kills any of the recent albums by the big four of Thrash, or any of the young pretenders to the throne. Exodus was always labeled with the “band that nearly was nearly was as big as Metallica”, well this album pisses over recent ‘Tallica efforts. Also quite surprising since it only has one of the original members left, the rest being old Bay area thrashers. As an album it starts out slow and menancing with the first track “Raze” and then builds up momentum to the final title track. Corny as the cover is it reflects the musical carnage within. Anyways Thrash was never about being cool…

Favourite track: Deathamphetamine.

Official Band website: www.exodusattack.com

VOIVOD Guitarist DENIS ‘PIGGY’ D’AMOUR Dead Of Colon Cancer

Damn some of the most inspirational music of my youth, pioneers in the Thrash genre that i love so much, whose records stayed in my collection when many of there peers got sold. This sucks.