Christopher Owens 🎵 reviews the past year in his Predominance series.

Horns Up

With live music now back to pre-COVID levels (and the cost of touring going through the roof to such an extent that some bands are having to cancel European tours), at least I was able to experience some phenomenal shows from the likes of Rainbow Grave, The Cure, Public Image Ltd, Nebula, Godflesh, Michael Gira and Napalm Death. I honestly thought I would have been at more shows this year but, clearly, I enjoyed the time off from going to shows a little too much! Nonetheless, I was able to tick off four acts and I brought the total number of Killing Joke gigs I’ve attended to 26.

By contrast, records seemed to have gone back to being the low man on the totem pole. A shame as it did seem, during the pandemic, that people had started to rediscover the album as a cultural artifact, as important as a book or film. Ah well.

Not everything was reviewed on here at the time, but they are all records that have stuck with me, in some shape or form, throughout the year. That means I loved them. And so should you.

20🎸Omnibael - Rain Soaks the Earth Where They Lie

Not long after helping to produce one of the finest records of last year, Omnibael are back and ready to level 2022 by putting out this immense record. Embracing the more experimental/psychedelic side of industrial music without forgetting the pounding rhythms, this is a deeply disorienting listen that picks up where the likes of Uniform left off and plummets the listener.

The album can be streamed and purchased here.

19🎸Stephen Mallinder – Tick Tick Tick

For his first album in six years, Huerco. S has delivered a record of paranoid, immediate and trippy IDM tunes. The skittery beats always seem to suggest someone having a nervous breakdown while the melodies sit somewhere between nostalgic club euphoria and the feeling of dread experienced when walking home from the club and thinking someone is following you.

The album can be streamed and purchased here.

18.🎸Mark Stewart – Vs

A man of never-ending enthusiasm, Bristol’s finest has gathered some friends for his first album in ten years. Artists as disparate as Mike Watt, Front 242 and Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry spreading some of their genius. ‘Rage of Angels’ is a sensual and groovy EBM floor filler, while ‘Cast No Shadow’ updates Cabaret Voltaire’s paranoid funk for the 21st century.

The album can be streamed and purchased here.

17🎸Hollie Cook – Happy Hour

After two enjoyable, if forgettable, records, Hollie Cook hits a home run with this one. A sun kissed, luscious take on lovers’ rock, it’s the perfect soundtrack for those hot summer days. And because of the strong song writing (listen to ‘Moving On’ for an example), as well as Hollie’s enchanting voice, you’ll be playing it in the wintertime and marvelling at the opulent production.

The album can be streamed and purchased here.

16🎸Girls in Synthesis – The Rest is Distraction

This second full length from the London trio is a glorious post-punk Sturm unt drag which drives forward with an intensity not found in most modern acts of this ilk (listen to ‘How Your Prayers Have Changed’ for one example). But there still room for moments like ‘My Husband’ which are infused with a quirkiness that demonstrates that G.I.S know the score when it comes to post-punk.

The album can be streamed and purchased here.

15🎸Coscradh – Na Hanagan Stadial

Active since 2015, Coscradh (meaning “blood curdling” in old Irish and “prevention” in Scottish Gaelic) play music that comes from a place where black metal and death metal meld together, with neither being the dominant influence. The whole record is utterly chaotic (and the claustrophobic production certainly abates this). It’s murky, it’s primitive, it’s crushing, it’s harrowing.

The album can be streamed and purchased here.

14🎸Loop – Sonanacy

Alongside Spacemen 3, Loop helped droney psychedelic space rock become a more fashionable genre in the late 80’s. This, their first album since 1989, isn’t quite as overwhelmingly droney as previous outings but is certainly much more sharper and abrasive, certainly when it comes to the riffs: ‘Halo’ is the most immediate and classic sounding song on here.

The album can be streamed and purchased here.

13🎸Bleakness – Life at a Standstill

With an impeccable cover reminiscent of the work of Steve Stapleton, these French punks pick up where The Wraith left off: blending punk rock with gothy post-punk. And you know what? It makes for an enthralling listen. ‘Mechanism of Death’ leans more on the anthemic punk side, but a number like ‘Resignation Kills’ almost veers into Fall like melodies! An eccentric release but highly exciting.

The album can be streamed and purchased here.

12🎸Current 93 – If a City is Set Upon a Hill

With the cover a ceramic painting of Cain killing Abel, and a title referring to Jesus’ Sermon on the Mountain (and maybe a sly commentary on the last few years), this is another exquisite collection of songs from David Tibet and his regular collaborators. ‘There is No Zodiac’ is the highlight, with a rumbling piano line and controlled power chords hinting at the fall of a once great civilisation.

The title track can be streamed here.

11🎸Tension Span – The Future Died Yesterday

Citing influences “…and inspiration from the dark punk and post punk of the late '70s and early- ‘80s, the sensibility and DIY approach of the UK anarcho-punk movements, and the energy and immediacy of the early-mid-‘90s Bay Area punk scene…”, it’s a pleasure to declare this album a success. There’s a heavy influence of goth punks Rudimentary Peni in the riffing, which is no bad thing at all.

The album can be streamed and purchased here.

10🎸Deathfiend – Beyond Life

Another blistering release from Johnny Doom, this time coming from the metal spectrum (the name comes from Hellhammer). With influences ranging from Celtic Frost right through to Deviated Instinct, this is a remorseless record. ‘Rise From Decay’ begins as an up-tempo, d-beat style number before slowing down for maximum filth, Autopsy style. An essential release.

The album can be streamed and purchased here.

9🎸Wolfbastard – Hammer the Bastards

Pithily describing themselves as “D-beat black metal tossers from Manchester”, Wolfbastard are a ferocious proposition, existing in the primordial swamp that links hardcore and black metal. Songs like ‘Buckfast Blasphemies’ and ‘Graveyard Slag’ demonstrate a sense of humour lacking in most bands of this ilk. Production is clear as a bell, and the riffing is mighty. Highly, highly recommended.

The album can be streamed and purchased here.

8🎸Voivod - Synchro Anarchy

The fifteenth album from the French-Canadian legends is another smash hit, which is highly impressive considering 2018’s ‘The Wake’ was a genuine milestone. Their blend of prog, space rock and thrash is a sound many have tried but few have been able to pull off without it sounding cut and pasted. Tracks like ‘The World Today’ and ‘Mind Clock’ are the standout tracks.

The album can be streamed and purchased here.

7🎸Made of Teeth – Sociopathogen

When former members of Taint and Lacertillia get together, you know that the end result is going to be very loud. And that is exactly the case here. A mix of hardcore punk and noise rock, this is an invigorating release with riffs and aggression aplenty. Even with that in mind, it’s amazing how a song like ‘Three4a1er’ just hits the spot in a way a lot of modern hardcore doesn’t.

The album can be streamed and purchased here.

6🎸Pound Land – Can’t Be Arsed

Great name and great title, so it’s nice to report that the music matches, with a sludgy, psychedelic take on industrial punk where even the vocals sound like they were recorded after downing 50 tabs of Oxycontin. Because of this, songs like ‘Twatted’ and ‘Tapeworm’ make for uncomfortable, but compelling listening. Arguably, the sound that defines 2022 in a nutshell.

The album can be streamed and purchased here.

5🎸Battalions - King of a Dead World

Describing themselves as “Slimy, soulful and heavy”, Battalions certainly find themselves hitting these hights on their fourth record. The sludge just oozes out of them on tracks like ‘Green Boots’ and ‘Light a Fire’ and the riffing on display is just killer. The sort of record that can act as a soundtrack to a class night out and as a means of stress relief whenever the boss is annoying you.

The album can be streamed and purchased here.

4🎸mr.phylzzz – Cancel Culture Club

I love how the title can be read as “Cancel (the band) Culture Club”! Anyway, these Chicago lads make the sort of noise rock that sounds like the Melvins collaborating with Corrosion of Conformity (‘Pretend Friends’ is the best example of this) and this is a Very Good Thing. Combined with some spot-on song titles and an amazing cover from Tom Hazelmyer, and what we get is genius.

The album can be streamed and purchased here.

3🎸Praise – All in a Dream

Possibly THE most positive and optimistic albums of 2022, this third album from Baltimore’s Praise is a bouncy, melodic hardcore record that could have been released on Dischord in 1986. Closing with a cover of ‘Keep Hanging On’ by Husker Du emphasises the need to stand firm and hopeful amid the chaos, but the highlight is the mid-paced ‘Eyes in the Dark’ due to its killer bass groove.

The album can be streamed and purchased here.

2🎸Psychic Graveyard, USA Nails – Split

The noise rock equivalent of The Best of Both Worlds, this trans-Atlantic pairing attempts to soundtrack our deeply divided times and does so with spectacular results. Psychic Graveyard’s hectoring, yet playful electronic material contrasts nicely with USA Nails’ more intense, angular riffage. Song wise, ‘Building You a Rainbow’ stands out for its groove as well as unbridled sarcasm.

The album can be streamed and purchased here.

1🎸Berthold City – When Words are Not Enough

With members of Strife, Abrasion, and Internal Affairs in the ranks of Berthold City, their debut album was always going to be special. Simply put, this is a record filled with brutal, flat out hardcore that utterly OBLITERATES. Take a track like ‘The Pharmacist’. Doesn’t it feel like you’re being punched in the face, and doesn’t that feel good?

The album can be streamed and purchased here.

⏩ Christopher Owens was a reviewer for Metal Ireland and finds time to study the history and inherent contradictions of Ireland. He is currently the TPQ Friday columnist.

Predominance 🥁 Best of 2022

Christopher Owens 🎵 reviews the past year in his Predominance series.

Horns Up

With live music now back to pre-COVID levels (and the cost of touring going through the roof to such an extent that some bands are having to cancel European tours), at least I was able to experience some phenomenal shows from the likes of Rainbow Grave, The Cure, Public Image Ltd, Nebula, Godflesh, Michael Gira and Napalm Death. I honestly thought I would have been at more shows this year but, clearly, I enjoyed the time off from going to shows a little too much! Nonetheless, I was able to tick off four acts and I brought the total number of Killing Joke gigs I’ve attended to 26.

By contrast, records seemed to have gone back to being the low man on the totem pole. A shame as it did seem, during the pandemic, that people had started to rediscover the album as a cultural artifact, as important as a book or film. Ah well.

Not everything was reviewed on here at the time, but they are all records that have stuck with me, in some shape or form, throughout the year. That means I loved them. And so should you.

20🎸Omnibael - Rain Soaks the Earth Where They Lie

Not long after helping to produce one of the finest records of last year, Omnibael are back and ready to level 2022 by putting out this immense record. Embracing the more experimental/psychedelic side of industrial music without forgetting the pounding rhythms, this is a deeply disorienting listen that picks up where the likes of Uniform left off and plummets the listener.

The album can be streamed and purchased here.

19🎸Stephen Mallinder – Tick Tick Tick

For his first album in six years, Huerco. S has delivered a record of paranoid, immediate and trippy IDM tunes. The skittery beats always seem to suggest someone having a nervous breakdown while the melodies sit somewhere between nostalgic club euphoria and the feeling of dread experienced when walking home from the club and thinking someone is following you.

The album can be streamed and purchased here.

18.🎸Mark Stewart – Vs

A man of never-ending enthusiasm, Bristol’s finest has gathered some friends for his first album in ten years. Artists as disparate as Mike Watt, Front 242 and Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry spreading some of their genius. ‘Rage of Angels’ is a sensual and groovy EBM floor filler, while ‘Cast No Shadow’ updates Cabaret Voltaire’s paranoid funk for the 21st century.

The album can be streamed and purchased here.

17🎸Hollie Cook – Happy Hour

After two enjoyable, if forgettable, records, Hollie Cook hits a home run with this one. A sun kissed, luscious take on lovers’ rock, it’s the perfect soundtrack for those hot summer days. And because of the strong song writing (listen to ‘Moving On’ for an example), as well as Hollie’s enchanting voice, you’ll be playing it in the wintertime and marvelling at the opulent production.

The album can be streamed and purchased here.

16🎸Girls in Synthesis – The Rest is Distraction

This second full length from the London trio is a glorious post-punk Sturm unt drag which drives forward with an intensity not found in most modern acts of this ilk (listen to ‘How Your Prayers Have Changed’ for one example). But there still room for moments like ‘My Husband’ which are infused with a quirkiness that demonstrates that G.I.S know the score when it comes to post-punk.

The album can be streamed and purchased here.

15🎸Coscradh – Na Hanagan Stadial

Active since 2015, Coscradh (meaning “blood curdling” in old Irish and “prevention” in Scottish Gaelic) play music that comes from a place where black metal and death metal meld together, with neither being the dominant influence. The whole record is utterly chaotic (and the claustrophobic production certainly abates this). It’s murky, it’s primitive, it’s crushing, it’s harrowing.

The album can be streamed and purchased here.

14🎸Loop – Sonanacy

Alongside Spacemen 3, Loop helped droney psychedelic space rock become a more fashionable genre in the late 80’s. This, their first album since 1989, isn’t quite as overwhelmingly droney as previous outings but is certainly much more sharper and abrasive, certainly when it comes to the riffs: ‘Halo’ is the most immediate and classic sounding song on here.

The album can be streamed and purchased here.

13🎸Bleakness – Life at a Standstill

With an impeccable cover reminiscent of the work of Steve Stapleton, these French punks pick up where The Wraith left off: blending punk rock with gothy post-punk. And you know what? It makes for an enthralling listen. ‘Mechanism of Death’ leans more on the anthemic punk side, but a number like ‘Resignation Kills’ almost veers into Fall like melodies! An eccentric release but highly exciting.

The album can be streamed and purchased here.

12🎸Current 93 – If a City is Set Upon a Hill

With the cover a ceramic painting of Cain killing Abel, and a title referring to Jesus’ Sermon on the Mountain (and maybe a sly commentary on the last few years), this is another exquisite collection of songs from David Tibet and his regular collaborators. ‘There is No Zodiac’ is the highlight, with a rumbling piano line and controlled power chords hinting at the fall of a once great civilisation.

The title track can be streamed here.

11🎸Tension Span – The Future Died Yesterday

Citing influences “…and inspiration from the dark punk and post punk of the late '70s and early- ‘80s, the sensibility and DIY approach of the UK anarcho-punk movements, and the energy and immediacy of the early-mid-‘90s Bay Area punk scene…”, it’s a pleasure to declare this album a success. There’s a heavy influence of goth punks Rudimentary Peni in the riffing, which is no bad thing at all.

The album can be streamed and purchased here.

10🎸Deathfiend – Beyond Life

Another blistering release from Johnny Doom, this time coming from the metal spectrum (the name comes from Hellhammer). With influences ranging from Celtic Frost right through to Deviated Instinct, this is a remorseless record. ‘Rise From Decay’ begins as an up-tempo, d-beat style number before slowing down for maximum filth, Autopsy style. An essential release.

The album can be streamed and purchased here.

9🎸Wolfbastard – Hammer the Bastards

Pithily describing themselves as “D-beat black metal tossers from Manchester”, Wolfbastard are a ferocious proposition, existing in the primordial swamp that links hardcore and black metal. Songs like ‘Buckfast Blasphemies’ and ‘Graveyard Slag’ demonstrate a sense of humour lacking in most bands of this ilk. Production is clear as a bell, and the riffing is mighty. Highly, highly recommended.

The album can be streamed and purchased here.

8🎸Voivod - Synchro Anarchy

The fifteenth album from the French-Canadian legends is another smash hit, which is highly impressive considering 2018’s ‘The Wake’ was a genuine milestone. Their blend of prog, space rock and thrash is a sound many have tried but few have been able to pull off without it sounding cut and pasted. Tracks like ‘The World Today’ and ‘Mind Clock’ are the standout tracks.

The album can be streamed and purchased here.

7🎸Made of Teeth – Sociopathogen

When former members of Taint and Lacertillia get together, you know that the end result is going to be very loud. And that is exactly the case here. A mix of hardcore punk and noise rock, this is an invigorating release with riffs and aggression aplenty. Even with that in mind, it’s amazing how a song like ‘Three4a1er’ just hits the spot in a way a lot of modern hardcore doesn’t.

The album can be streamed and purchased here.

6🎸Pound Land – Can’t Be Arsed

Great name and great title, so it’s nice to report that the music matches, with a sludgy, psychedelic take on industrial punk where even the vocals sound like they were recorded after downing 50 tabs of Oxycontin. Because of this, songs like ‘Twatted’ and ‘Tapeworm’ make for uncomfortable, but compelling listening. Arguably, the sound that defines 2022 in a nutshell.

The album can be streamed and purchased here.

5🎸Battalions - King of a Dead World

Describing themselves as “Slimy, soulful and heavy”, Battalions certainly find themselves hitting these hights on their fourth record. The sludge just oozes out of them on tracks like ‘Green Boots’ and ‘Light a Fire’ and the riffing on display is just killer. The sort of record that can act as a soundtrack to a class night out and as a means of stress relief whenever the boss is annoying you.

The album can be streamed and purchased here.

4🎸mr.phylzzz – Cancel Culture Club

I love how the title can be read as “Cancel (the band) Culture Club”! Anyway, these Chicago lads make the sort of noise rock that sounds like the Melvins collaborating with Corrosion of Conformity (‘Pretend Friends’ is the best example of this) and this is a Very Good Thing. Combined with some spot-on song titles and an amazing cover from Tom Hazelmyer, and what we get is genius.

The album can be streamed and purchased here.

3🎸Praise – All in a Dream

Possibly THE most positive and optimistic albums of 2022, this third album from Baltimore’s Praise is a bouncy, melodic hardcore record that could have been released on Dischord in 1986. Closing with a cover of ‘Keep Hanging On’ by Husker Du emphasises the need to stand firm and hopeful amid the chaos, but the highlight is the mid-paced ‘Eyes in the Dark’ due to its killer bass groove.

The album can be streamed and purchased here.

2🎸Psychic Graveyard, USA Nails – Split

The noise rock equivalent of The Best of Both Worlds, this trans-Atlantic pairing attempts to soundtrack our deeply divided times and does so with spectacular results. Psychic Graveyard’s hectoring, yet playful electronic material contrasts nicely with USA Nails’ more intense, angular riffage. Song wise, ‘Building You a Rainbow’ stands out for its groove as well as unbridled sarcasm.

The album can be streamed and purchased here.

1🎸Berthold City – When Words are Not Enough

With members of Strife, Abrasion, and Internal Affairs in the ranks of Berthold City, their debut album was always going to be special. Simply put, this is a record filled with brutal, flat out hardcore that utterly OBLITERATES. Take a track like ‘The Pharmacist’. Doesn’t it feel like you’re being punched in the face, and doesn’t that feel good?

The album can be streamed and purchased here.

⏩ Christopher Owens was a reviewer for Metal Ireland and finds time to study the history and inherent contradictions of Ireland. He is currently the TPQ Friday columnist.

1 comment:

  1. As ever Christopher a great end to your year's writing.
    Your input to TPQ has been invaluable.
    Enjoyed the session on Wednesday!

    ReplyDelete