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Reverse Reviews : Metallica, …And Justice For All (1988)
METALLICA - …AND JUSTICE FOR ALL (1988)
Elektra
Yeah, these guys are huge – nay, mega-huge – jackasses now, and have
been for several years. Metallica’s self-titled release (1991)
arguably marked the last time the band would put out a record that was
in any way decent or acceptable to their hardcore fan base. After
that, it seems like they started doing a lot more bowhunting, complaining about the Internet, and making records that sounded more like high
school book reports on heavy metal rather than examples of it.
But jump back to 1986. They’d just released Master of Puppets,
a record that brought thrash metal to the masses at long last. It was
the first thrash record to crack the Billboard Top 40. Thrash metal,
to be distinguished from glam metal: Master of Puppets represented a rude response to the glam metal popular at the
time….Poison, Motely Crue, Ratt, and other hair bands that focused on
the more aesthetic aspects of the genre rather than metal’s roots in
street life.
Fri Aug 15 2008 · Posted in Daily, Reviews
Reverse Reviews: Dead Milkmen, Beelzebubba
DEAD MILKMEN – BEELZEBUBBA
Enigma/Restless (1988)
Most
people never really understood Dead Milkmen. And what a wonderful
thing that is. Growing up in the American 80s was kind of weird - a
polarizing era in which old-fashioned (boring) norms made a comeback -
and, for those of us who didn't drink the Kool-Aid,
Dead Milkmen were our representatives, our spokespersons. These guys,
along with a handful of other groups of the time, rebelled against the
status quo in a way that was positive, hopeful, happy-go-lucky, and
above all, fun.
Sun Aug 10 2008 · Posted in Daily, Reviews
Reverse Reviews : Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band, Safe as Milk
CAPTAIN BEEFHEART AND THE MAGIC BAND – SAFE AS MILK (1967)
Buddha
This is one of those records you only pull out at the right moment, due
to its potency. If it were a person, it would be a tophat-wearing
snake-oil salesman wearing smeared clown makeup, hawking his wares and
whispering things. Nothing he said would make sense, but his voice
tone would somehow sound….soothing. “Sure,” you say, in some sort of
trance. “I’ll buy whatever you’re selling.” If this record were a
place, it would be a small Mississippi farming town whose water supply
had just been heavily dosed with some psychologically disruptive
substance.
Delta blues
+
One (1) really strange white dude with a 4 ½ octave vocal range
=
Safe as Milk by Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band.
Don’t let the term “blues” throw you off here. Most blues that you
hear these days is just crap, which this is not. Let us explain
ourselves…
So there’s blues, and then there’s blues. Blues guitar is easy to
play, sure, but that’s not the point. Real blues isn’t about
virtuosity. Leave that crap to Eddie Van Halen and Joe Satriani. It’s
about delivery; it’s about passion; it’s about soul. You know that
feeling you get when you’re upset about something and, instead of
holding it in, you just let it all pour out? That wave of satisfaction
that you get afterwards…well, that’s the blues.
Sat Jul 5 2008 · Posted in Daily
Reverse Reviews : NWA, Straight Outta Compton
N.W.A – STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON (1988)
What, like you didn’t think we were doing this one?
Here’s one of those rare records that not only created a new musical
style, but also gave rise to a new political and cultural movement.
Usually there are just a handful of these per generation.
Wed Jun 25 2008 · Posted in
Reverse Reviews : Integrity, For Those Who Fear Tomorrow (1991)
INTEGRITY - FOR THOSE WHO FEAR TOMORROW
OVERKILL RECORDS (1991)
Around 1990 there seemed to be a shift in hardcore music. It had started as a faster, heavier reaction to the more RnR 77 punk of bands like Sex Pistols and Ramones in the early 80's, but, by the late 80s, most hardcore had gone the route of "youth crew," like many of the NY bands, Youth of Today, Gorilla Biscuits, etc…complete with fast early 80s HC riffs and slower breakdowns (a la "Mosh Parts"). While there had been cross over with the speed metal scene in the 80s, forming the trashcore of Suicidal Tendancies, DRI, Cromags and the like, hardcore had remained fairly specific for some years. While a few acts experimented with melodic sounds and some even touched on metal (Judge, Slapshot and others), Integrity blew the doors off everything around the turn of the decade. For Those Who Fear Tomorrow almost completely threw us all out the window and fully embraced metal. I mean, they became it.
Integrity's 1st single, based more in the punk/HC roots with a metallic backdrop, was a stepping-stone to their 1st full length. This LP was more Metallica and Slayer, complete with solos, "evil" lyrics and, god forbid, slow songs! Really slow metal songs, mixed with their fast thrashy Slayer-esque riffs. Kids in the HC scene weren't sure what to think (myself included, as I traded this to a friend for another record, only to regret it and hunt down the out of print album years later). Not only had their music taken a drastic change, but they ditched the politically correct straight-edge and vegetarian scene, as well and some of the local music scene in their hometown. They did this proudly, in fact, as the the "thank you" section of the album said "you were all fools for believing in us and we hate all Cleveland bands, except for Ringworm." Divisive as they were and hated by some, the new sound helped start a huge shift in what we now know as commonplace in hardcore today. It kicked open the doors for the next wave, with Earth Crisis and their many clones were following suit and even today as metal and HC have almost fused together in the scene. This effect was so powerful that the metal bands that were influencing hardcore actually began being influenced by "new school" hardcore and even taking them on tour. Bands like Pantera, Sepultura and even grindcore heroes, Napalm Death, all started to slow to a more metal/hardcore sound.
For Those Who Fear Tomorrow opens with an eerie, overdubbed sample of a interview with serial killer, Charles Manson as he proudly elaborates on mutilations and murders he was involved with, stating "there are thousands all over the country just like me"… the record immediatly drops into the opening track, "Micha" with vocalist Dwid screaming that single word followed by an extremely heavy bass line and drums and tackled by guitar and lyrics a minute later. The entire album moves from slow, sludgy metalcore to fast, trashy riffs with an abundance of melodic guitar solos and almost operatic instrumental bridges and songs. It feels more like a heavy-as-fuck story you go through, listening to the album beginning to end. A must have for any fan of the genre or anyone curious in seeing how we went from Black Flag to Black Dahlia Murder.
For fans of: Hatebreed, Slayer, Darkest Hour, Crowbar, Big Business, Neurosis, Converge, Tragedy, Fucked Up, Ringworm, Damnation AD, The Sword
- Integrity
- Integrity - Micha: Those Who Fear Tomorrow
- For Those Who Fear Tomorrow
Overkill Records
For more Reverse Reviews, click here
Tue Jun 17 2008 · Posted in
Reverse Reviews : The Lemonheads, It’s A Shame About Ray (1992)
THE LEMONHEADS - IT'S A SHAME ABOUT RAY
ATLANTIC (1992)
In the late 80s there were a few bands that started in the punk/hardcore scene and changed into something different. First releases from bands like The Replacements, Pavement, Sonic Youth, Husker Du were heavier and faster, like the music that surrounded them at the time, but they all took a chance and made something great and new. The Lemonheads were one of these bands who ended up light years from their debut of Hate Your Friends by the end. Arguably, they progressed with a more melodic sound, helping create this thing that critics and record store owners began defining as "indie rock." It was an easier way to categorize bands other than 'alternative' and sat at the in-between world of college rock. Around the time The Lemonheads put out It's a Shame About Ray, singer/songwriter Evan Dando had become a teen icon, literally, being featured in teen magazines as a young musician and heart-throb…and dating stars like Wynona Rider didn't hurt. The acclaim faded quick, but the record has lasted as a mainstay and an indie classic for a reason. This is beautiful pop sensibility textured with a mix of acoustic and driving guitars. Its catchy riffs and upbeat backdrop, mixed with an early 90s college rock melody, kept the songs fresh and new while keeping fans of the genre interested. Lyrics of love songs, tragedy and happiness and the perfect closing tune, a punk pop cover of Simon and Garfunkel's "Mrs. Robinson," seemed to show both their underground roots and a love of classic American singer/songwriter muses.
Fans of: The Thermals, Death Cab For Cutie, Spoon, Green Day, Ladyhawk, Pixies, Dinosaur Jr, Arctic Monkeys, Get Up Kids, Weezer, Okkervil River, Big Star
- The Lemonheads
- The Lemonheads - It's A Shame About Ray
- It's A Shame About Ray
Atlantic
- The Lemonheads
- The Lemonheads - My Drug Buddy
- It's A Shame About Ray
Atlantic
-Check out more Reverse Reviews here
Mon Jun 16 2008 · Posted in
Reverse Reviews : Jawbreaker, 24 Hour Revenge Therapy (1994)
Jawbreaker, 24 Hour Revenge Therapy
This record changed it all. Not only was is sort of a "breakthrough" album for Jawbreaker that took them from the San Fran pop punk scene to cross over fans, but it changed music. It helped spawn (for better or worse) the genre now known as Emo and left all notions of what it was to play and write punk music in the dust. This melodic and emotional music, mixed with classic pop punk riffs, perfected a new sound. The tight, driving rhythm section of Adam Pfahler and Chris Bauermeister set the perfect backdrop for singer/guitarist Blake Schwarzenbach's gruff vocals and melodic anthems. The lyrics were brave and poetic, more so than most bands in the scene at the time and more so than most since. His love of beat poets began to show through just as much as his disdain for the politics of punk...all this at a time when underground music was getting more attention than before and bands were being accused of "selling out." At a time when punk rock had been divided into a 100 little scenes and when larger bands were constantly under a microscope, Jawbreakers' insistence on not giving a fuck what the "cool kids" thought seemed so much more punk in it's viewpoint. Songs like "Indictment" and "Boxcar" said it best: "You're not punk and I'm telling everyone…Save your breath, I never was one."
Play this record from beginning to end over and over. Their records before 24 Hour Revenge Therapy were great, but more simple in their sound, and Dear You, (a great major label debut) was very produced and even more "Emo" than before (setting the tone for Blake's band after Jawbreaker, Jets To Brazil), but their 3rd record was completely golden in tone and timing. It's still perfect and still timeless.
For Fans of: Jimmy Eat World, Alkaline Trio, Blink 182, Samiam, Green Day, early Replacements, Dinosaur Jr., Get Up Kids, Screeching Weasel, NOFX, At The Drive In, Saves the Day, Weezer.
- Jawbreaker
- Jawbreaker - Boxcar
- 24 Hour Revenge Therapy
Tupelo/Communion Records
-Check out more Reverse Reviews here
Mon Jun 16 2008 · Posted in
Reverse Reviews : Karp, Self Titled LP (1997)
Karp
Self Titled LP
Definitely in my top 10 best records ever, Karp's 3rd and final
record is a punch to the gut of heavy low-end metal. Ironic and
hilarious in their lyrics, the vocals drive along with the thumping
guitar and never lose the vibe in it's heaviness when playing with
humor. The opening song, "Bacon Industry": a single guitar riff
begins what explodes into a perfect record for any hardcore, noise rock
or metal fan. The build-up on "Forget the Minions" is a perfect rise
into rumbling, rolling, fist-pounding noise metal.
Wed Jun 11 2008 · Posted in Reviews
Reverse Reviews : Joy Division, Unknown Pleasures (1979)
JOY DIVISION – UNKNOWN PLEASURES
Qwest (June 1979)
The forces of conformity inevitably cause rebellion. It’s human nature to desire choice, freedom and enough space for expressing individuality in everything that we do. When social norms and conditions make it difficult to express this individuality, we feel compelled to get in line, take our rations, adapt to the rules and do what we’re told. No space. No options. No choice. No uniqueness. Fall in. Rebelling – making a genuine and permanent break with the traditional – isn’t easy.
Wed Jun 11 2008 · Posted in
Reverse Reviews : Bad Brains, Bad Brains (1982)
BAD BRAINS – BAD BRAINS
ROIR (1982)
This record’s just all up in your face like a cloud of horseflies. A listen to this one – especially a first listen – shouldn’t even be attempted unless (1) the volume is way up, (2) you don’t get along with your neighbors and (3) you’ve worked in several office jobs and just couldn’t get along with anyone (“the suits”). Oh yeah, and it helps if you’re under 20 years old (in body or just in mind). Ahh...adolescence.