Goblin Cock – “Come With Me If You Want To Live” released January 26, 2009 by Robcore Records It’s easy to pass off this innuendo-riddled, fuzzed-out & reverbed, self-aware stoner metal as silly satire, but anyone that says that hasn’t listened to the music. They’ve got a Kyuss essence (right down to the Dungeons & Dragons connections) with that retro-modern touch that The Sword wields, but their chainmail doesn’t cover their funny bones, worn proudly on their sleeves. Like their first album Bagged and Boarded, the lyrics are written in runes, so I’m only half sure it’s FCC OK. [...read more]

Wino – “Punctuated Equilibrium” released January 26, 2009 by Southern Lord The guitar giant and relatively unsung living legend, who garnered much respect and notoriety with Sabbath-worshipping doom metal bands like The Obsessed and Saint Vitus, finally releases his first solo effort in his 30+ year career.  Comprised of tunes both new and decades-old, the album’s spirit creates a biographical framework of Wino himself. This spirit is fleshed out with a great rhythm section in the form of Jon Blank (Rezin) & Jean-Paul Gaster (Clutch, The Bakerton Group), with strong production from J. Robbins (Jawbox). An absolutely addictive listening [...read more]

The Bakerton Group – “El Rojo” [Weathermaker] If you’ve ever wanted to know what Clutch would sound like if they did away with vocals and followed their instrumental muse while channeling Hawkwind, this is your album. With help from Per Wiberg (Opeth) on keyboards and even an alto sax player named Raven on a couple of tracks (4, 10), it’s a groovy, funky, jazzy outing full of riffs that would not be out of place in anything their alter-egos concoct. I initially felt that there were plenty of interesting moments, but without as high replay value, due largely in [...read more]

  Sepultura – “A-Lex” released January 20, 2009 by SPV/Steamhammer The first word in Brazilian Metal returns with another opus based on a piece of literature, now focusing on a modern novel (Burgess’ A Clockwork Orange) rather than classic poetry (Dante’s Divine Comedy).  There is palpable energy throughout the album, the band’s eleventh (fifth with Derrick Green, now a distinguished voice in his own right), and the first without Igor Cavalera on drums (newcomer Jean Dolabella is a strong replacement).  They really touch all bases here:  breakneck thrash (2, 3), moody grooves (4, 9), instrumental “chapter starters” (1, 6, [...read more]

Iron Fire – “To The Grave” [Napalm] … In order to combat the glossiness of much power metal, a band has to do one of the following: play faster, or embrace the darkness. The Danish quintet does both, and also tends toward battle themes, so anyone that enjoys the genre has plenty to like about these guys.  The keyboards are a bit too lilting at times (3, 11), but do add the right atmosphere in places (4). I reviewed a copy with voice-overs, so I had a hard time with all but the first four tracks, but I do [...read more]

Satyricon – “The Age Of Nero” [Koch] … Black n’ roll is becoming more prevalent these days, using more accessible song structures to reach a broader audience beyond the “kvlt.”  This seventh album was written by Satyr in a godforsaken cabin somewhere in the mountains of Norway.  It was brought to sunny L.A. and recorded/mixed by “Evil” Joe Baresi, with Satyr helming production.  The warmth Joe brought to bands like Kyuss and Saviours is not allowed to melt a drop of Satyricon’s icy exterior; clarity and balance are what’s at work here, accentuating the subtle palette in which the [...read more]

Ohhh, it’s on.  Though there is still some old stuff I gotta dredge up, there should be no more new pix and vids from the PowerShot A640.  The versatile D90 is my new weapon of choice, which will bring better quality photos and HD video to Mind Over Metal. Hails!

  Kreator – “Hordes of Chaos” [SPV] … The German thrash legends celebrate 25 years with this ferocious 12th album, and boast the speed standard for metal in 2009. Every song present has quality guitar work which shines through the deliberately raw production and, coupled with Mille’s savage vocal performance (though lacking in variation), makes for a damn good listen.  It does sag a bit in the middle (4, 5, 6), finally regaining full traction in the final third, but this doesn’t much detract from its full force.  Notable as the first recording since 1986’s Pleasure To Kill to [...read more]

If you took a couple of mantis––one imbued with the spirit of 3 Inches of Blood, the other with the execution of The Black Dahlia Murder––and shook them up together in a jar, the ensuing battle would sound a lot like DDD.