Wall of Silents - Looking through Cadaver Eyes

Despite the croaky evil hobgoblin vocals of Jay Skeletor,Wall of Silents are not your typical death metal band with only brutality on their minds. The band persuade the listener to nod their heads by crossing genres and sub-genres taking in punk, doom, stoner rock, traditional metal and thrash metal often within a single song.

The production has been lifted a lot since the band sound on this second album is a lot clearer than the first (which was reviewed on this blog here. The guitar leads really shine. Skeletor's vocals are somewhere between still somewhere between Mille Petrozza snd Bill Steer. The anthemic "Badly Cut Amphetamine" was one of the highlights of the first release and here it gets a re-working with a stomping hard rock blues boogie intro before settling into a fuzzed out groove with a punkish sing a long with those tasty guitars leads coming into the fray. "Call of the Dead" is another head nodding highlight with a Motorheadrumbling slowing to let the guitar leads take over and then turning into the sort of thrashing that should come with a health warning that it could cause whiplash. " Drowning in Blood" is a thrasher that will inevitably be compared to Slayer partially due to a similar tune title but because of its full on aural assault. "The Lament Configuration" is a track that is carried by a slow beat and slicing buzzsaw guitar with Skeletor spitting anger over the top. "Stinkin' Hippies" is Hell fast and pinky. The speed and rhythm had me thinking of gbh. The album closer "Dead Kings will Rise"is the closest these guys come to traditional metal as it definitely has an Iron Maiden feel. There are a number of horror movies samples used and they definitely fit the downtuned tone of the musicic.




This album has been out a while( a few years) but I only managed to get to around to listening to it in the past couple of weeks. Both the band's full lengths are available for free from their bandcamp site. Get it and kill the silence with the Wall of Silents.


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Lung - Full Moon Again

Here is The video to Palmerston North band's Lung's song "Full Moon Again". I used to see these guys play a lot during the nineties and it's nearing twenty years since I last saw the video. Thanks to the wonders of youtube, Noisyland and hats off to Kowalski for the tip.

Intemperance

Intemperance is a '92 compilation from the city of Palmerston North, New Zealand. Gravey play alternative pop and fall somewhere between R.E.M, Senseless Things and every jangly indie band that ever wanted to be signed to Flying Nun. Wholesale Drainage gave drinking red wine and spinning Sisters of Mercy records a rest to lend a dark gothic tone with their two songs. Master Cheese Maker worshipped at the altar of Mike Patton's Mr Bungle. The ghost of Ian Curtis sub-lets in Burnt Weeping Eyes. Fader have an admirable stab at the sparse vocals and lush fuzzy guitar pop. Cancer Maidens channel the Butthole Surfers. Hardcore punk anger representatives Sid Vishnu clock up two songs with snotty throated vocals. Loose yourself, it's time to dance to E-haw's screwed up dance music complete with sampling and chainsmoking whiskey soaked vocals. Punks, Motorsheep have a couple of live from the radio tracks. Sampling and electronic beats continues with Zero Tolerance who give advice on how to handle "Diesel and Fertilizer". Monsterworks end precedings with some Sabbat(UK) type metal. Unlike the other bands represented here, this band is still about and now based in the UK. Intemperance is like all small city compilations with the bad to average to good.

Here.

Harry Death

All small cities have at least one band that always get up, play untuned, drunk and make paying punters leave These days there is about 100 bands in any chosen city who use the word Death either in their song titles, album titles, chosen sub-genre or band name. Plamerston North band Harry Death combined the playing drunk with the latter. I vaguely recall doing a mail interview for my shitty fanzine with frontman, Phil Caswell. By the time I received his reply I had given up on the 'zine and gave the interview to the much better Levin 'zine Brainless Child. I've since lost or thrown out my copy of that particular fanzine. I do remember Phil saying that they started out on the rock and roll busy-ness when the space shuttle exploded. They wrote a song about it. It is not on this album. He was also heavily involved in the Worker's Unemployed Rights Centre and later the setting up of the Sonic Arts Centre in Wellington who put out a few issue of a newsprint zine called CATastrophe in C Minor. The band were influenced by the likes of Joy Division, Pere Ubu and The Fall but weren't anywhere as near as good. Harry Death's Live too, like The Clear's Live Stomach is, in fact, a studio album. Take it for what it is.

Death!

Bali Bombers, Neckstretchers, Magnum Opus and Wall Of Silents Valve December 8

After seeing and enjoying the Bali Bombers and the Neckstretchers at Bar Mode in my hometown of Palmerston North there was no way I was missing this Wellington show. It wasn't that well attended but there's been so many things on in Wellington in the past two weeks. Polish metallers Behemoth and US pop punkers, The Bouncing Souls had played in town the night before and the local soccer team, Wellington played and won against Perth Glory at home(I attended this event and disregarded the others. The score was 3-0).
On the same night round the corner from Valve US band The Gossip (who I've never heard, not that means anything these days, were charging $50 a ticket to their show)were playing the San Franciso Bath House and Australian hardcore band Vae Victis were also playing in town at the Underground Arts Centre not to far from this show.
This show was $7 or $10 with a CD and DVD to get into and I'd heard and like two of the bands. Bali Bombers were the first band up and their punk rock assault is awesome. Here's a youtube clip of their song We Don't Care



Next up were metal band Magnum Opus from the Kapiti Coast. They were on the melodic side with a few death type grunts. The singer who can actually sing is something that seems to be missing from a lot of metal bands I've seen lately. They were pretty damn heavy and from what I could tell seem to be excellent musicians. They got a good crowd upfront.



Above pic: Magnum Opus

Up next were The Neck-Stretchers who are a garage-type punk rock band. This time frontman Rob Thorne was more restrained with this gymnastics compared to the Bar Mode show although he still did them. This band have to be seen live but here's a youtube clip of The Neck-stretchers from this show.



Last up were Wall of Silents who like Magnum Opus were a band I'd never seen before. They're a band with a death/grindcore type singer and a metal/rock/punk sound. Confused? Watch this clip.



They played a song called 'Fuck Off' as an encore and then thanked people for sticking around. An enjoyable night.