MOMM: Pick from the 90s

The '90s... that time when grunge took over & the affiliation for guitars suffered an internal conflict; minimalism vs extremism. Why did we bother to contemplate at all, if we were true music fans, really. Anyway, I got sucked into grungefest briefly before realizing my true inclinations & the need to return to what makes me tick - metal. The above three albums were on my playlist, so to speak, considering 'playlist' back then was that bunch of cassette tapes or CDs you always brought along in your bag.

Bathory: Octagon (1995)

This is one of those glorious cassette tapes I own back then & it was a legit local copy. The original version cost nearly thrice as much. I have a soft spot for this one as opposed to the cult favourites - Blood, Fire, Death / Hammerheart - as it retains a substantial amount of right hand chugging while treading the extreme metal domain. One of those very addictive HM-2 tones are here for your reverence.

Morbid Angel: Covenant (1993)

Another esteemed favourite in cassette tape form. Its predecessor, Blessed Are the Sick (1991), was a let down for me; the band bloody slowed down. Covenant re-visited the speed aspects of the band's music albeit not entirely. This is also the first album without the late Richard Brunelle so Trey forged the guitar works here alone & he did fine but the solos hinted going south. We could all agree that Brunelle was the better player between them. 

Slayer: Undisputed Attitude (1996)

This album was part of my initial years in the CD domain. Back then, I really had to save good money to purchase CDs. One CD could have easily gotten me 3 cassette tapes so some intense considerations really needed to happen before I parted with money. This album got me thinking hard because it was an EP of punk covers done the Slayer way, there's only one new song on offer; Gemini (which became my personal favourite very quickly). In the midst of all the CD buying, I still needed to buy guitar strings so the struggle was real. 

Pics: Last FM / Amazon 

MOMM (28)

Had been catching up with my past. Really.

Television: Marquee Moon

Richard Lloyd & Tom Verlaine are the unsung heroes of the proto-indie / eccentric guitar playing. I heard Richard Lloyd in action in Mathew Sweet's Altered Beasts & got hooked. Lloyd & Verlaine don't give a rat's ass about chords & the proper approach to music. They remain true to their artistic selves, create some of the best melodies & guitar inter-play & triggered a unique approach to guitar-centered music without which, Sonic Youth & Dinosaur Junior, among others, won't happen. Marquee Moon is a tricky release, it was out of print (CD) a long time ago. They only re-issued the vinyl version & back then, there's no You Tube to offer you consolation. I did make an enquiry about the CD version early this year but none was available. Saw this just a few days ago & it's a must-have.

Slayer: Reign in Blood

This is my favourite Slayer album. No compromise from start to end. The distortion here is perhaps the band's best manifestation with reference to the genre of music they embrace. I also feel this is the best Slayer album cover to date, very appealing without straying into B-grade art. Why get this now? I used to have this on cassette tape & it expired along the way. You know, the edges of the tape itself got crinkled due to over-play.

MOMM (27)

Taking time this weekend to enjoy these 2 releases.

Lari Basilio: Your Love

These days, guitar instrumentals are virtually niche music & the current generation of guitar-inclined listeners, they are more attracted to the Polyphia type of instrumentals. Lari Basilio peddles boomer-type guitar instrumentals but her phrasings & note choices are contemporary appeal. In this new album, there's less attempt to appease the tech players, I dare say the arrangements are song-like. If there's any intensity & distortion laden content that would excite anyone in general, it has to be Alive & Living. The rest are pretty laid back & offer the best easy listening music without wimping out.

Slayer: Seasons in the Abyss

OK, this is a re-visit. I adore all Slayer releases less the final sans Hanneman album; I didn't buy that one. I also noticed that the later slayer albums has lesser distortion on board. Instead of intense metal-type distortion, things sound crunchy instead. Seasons in the Abyss is an awesome serving from start to end but between songs, there is very little pause so the album sounds continuous & irritating. I have yet to come across newer metal bands out there who approach metal like Slayer; no obligations for speed, heavy focus & leads that punctuate the song, not an opportunity for widdle fest. 

Live listening

For the entire week, I've been listening to live albums. I've limited liking for live releases because the tracks are re-hashing what was recorded before but with a perspective of that 'raw' take from live feeds. 

Slayer's Decade of Aggression was my first live purchase & it was overplayed & both the cassette tapes died. That's right, they were on cassette tape version. In my opinion, this was the standard to beat in terms of live releases as the production was clear, all instruments could be heard distinctly. 

Then came Emperor's Emperial Live Ceremony which was bought because I wanted to hear more bass from the Emperor tracks. Tyr played bass on this one & the production did justice to his efforts. Also, I wanted to hear how Ihsan's Rob Halford-esque shrieks fare in live situations & it was beyond doubt, top notch. 

Mayhem's live albums are gems. You can really hear the horror from each track's delivery because Maniac's vocals were uncompromising. The live tracks also made me listen to Blasphemer's guitar tracks closely as the studio versions were full of overdubbed fills so in live applications, one got to hear what Blasphemer chose to play so that the tracks would not sound empty.

RIP: Jeff Hanneman (Slayer)

A sad day in metal history; the passing of Jeff Hanneman (liver failure).

Slayer LTD 2012

This is the 2012 Slayer model by LTD; I was thinking, can this one be rightfully called the 'Slayer' model since not the entire band plays an ESP/LTD instrument? What if BC Rich decides to commemorate another Slayer release- would that count? Hmm...

LTD: Slayer anniversary

New for 2011; Slayer's 25th Anniversary LTD. A simple workhorse with lots of distortion applications in mind (EMG 81/ 85). However, only 250 units are available worldwide *bummer*.

A Decade of Aggression

I'm still digging into my 'forgotten' collection, this group of CDs are packed into a box & tucked away in the common store room. Slayer's A Decade of Aggression was my first live album as I'm not a fan of live releases; I don't enjoy listening to songs rehashed in a live context but this release was different- there were no overdubs to polish the final output. That's a bold step & a real statement of self-belief. Unlike other Slayer releases where the bass was notoriously buried & inaudible, Araya's finger works here are present & commanding. I'm still not a fan of live releases, though.

Slayer: World Painted Blood

You know who the chaps above are...

They recently released World Painted Blood...

I bought the Deluxe Edition: Gatefold + slip case...

I'm through listening to the album, not that I gave up but I usually do repeated counts before deciding to embrace other ear candy. It's not a sub-standard achievement by the band but something different, some riffs are rather unexpected, very un-Slayer so to speak. The guitar tones here are also rather peculiar; the humbucking guitars sound like there were in single coil mode, no bass-intense chugging to be heard. Maybe it's the excessive crunch King & Hanneman embraced for this recording & plus the fact that they do EMGs- there you have it, a perfect crackling in the mix. I'm also rather perturbed by the wah laden solos on every track.

I've nothing against the band, in fact, Slayer remains to be the standard to beat when metal is in play. I think there are too many bands today giving them a good run for their money. But which band comes close to Slayer? Hmm...