“Monkey starts driving the train/Tries to take out the station/Tried to find a highway in vein/Monkey kills without hesitation/Just one fix”. - Ministry
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| Horns Up |
New Horizons
Windswept metallic hardcore with elements of crust and post-metal in their sound, Downfall of Gaia continue to put out records that sound like they’ve been crafted on top of a mountain in the middle of a storm. ‘Final Vows’ would be the most immediate song on offer here, but it’s the likes of ‘While Bloodsprings Become Rivers’ and ‘Optograms of Disgust’ that will linger the longest in memory.
The album can be streamed and purchased here.
Slowthai – U Gotta Love Yourself
Therapy is never the best place for creative inspiration. However, Northampton’s most famous son (after Alan Moore), slowthai, comes out of the studio swapping grime for his indie roots by collaborating with the likes of Fontaines DC on the title track, but he still spits out rhymes like “Excuse me while I self-destruct / Cause I don’t give a fuck” with a vigour undimmed by the shrink.
The album can be streamed and purchased here.
healthyliving - Songs of Abundance, Psalms of Grief
Mixing the best elements of sludge, noise rock and post rock, this debut release is an assured and ambitious collection of songs from three veterans of the underground. ‘Galleries’ sits somewhere between campfire number and invocation, while ‘Bloom’ is a suitably gothy song, only matched by closer ‘Obey’ which veers into Esben and the Witch terrain.
The album can be streamed and purchased here.
Liturgy – 93696
Coming in at two hours, the sixth album from Brooklyn’s Liturgy sees them retain the trappings of black metal while exploring not only “…religion, cosmic love, the feminine, and metamorphosis…”, but also their sonic boundaries. Incorporating glitch, choral, noise, free jazz and percussion, Liturgy have made a challenging, difficult listen. But for those who will connect with it, it will be a lifesaver.
The album can be streamed and purchased here.
Disciplinary – Porkwind
Described in the press release as a “Dual bass and drums hardcore noise-punk riff assault from North East England…” who have put together “A raging debut that rips hard”, I cannot help but agree with this assessment. Running in at under 25 minutes, it’s like Sete Star Sept knocked the grindcore on the head and started playing noisy hardcore instead. ‘Less Fun’ is the key song on here.
The album can be streamed and purchased here.
Beckton Alps2 – 60 (Don’t Go Crazy)
On the go for 25 years, Beckton Alps2 has produced a record that melds drone, noise, field recordings and text to speech software to create a sonic field trip that feels like walking through the Himalayan mountains. The repetition of certain harmonies over the hour invites the listener to reinterpret them each time, allowing for a build-up of tension.
The album can be streamed and purchased here.
Golden Oldies
One of the finest films of the last 20 years, the soundtrack does an immense job of charting the journey from late 70’s punk to late 80’s acid house. Any soundtrack that opens up with ‘Anarchy in the UK’ and closes with ‘Love Will Tear Us Apart’ gets the thumbs up from me, but it’s the tracks from Marshal Jefferson, A Guy Called Gerald and Moby’s take on ‘New Dawn Fades’ that linger.
Black Death – s/t
Forever fetishised as the first “all African American heavy metal act”, their debut from 1984 is a much-treasured release. And for good reason. Although the likes of Iron Maiden and Judas Priest can be heard in the music (no bad thing of course), the deliver is more akin to psychedelic and garage rockers like Blue Cheer and the MC5. Oh, and the songs are killer as well.
Dave & Ansel Collins - Double Barrell
One of the finest reggae albums ever made, and the only LP from Dave and Ansel (who split up not long afterwards), it still sounds utterly fresh over 50 years later. The production is slick, the songs groove and its influence on the likes of The Selector and The Specials cannot be understated, due to the title tracks being one of the first reggae singles to top the UK charts.
⏩ 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.
That brought back memories.I loved the single Double Barrell. In terms of that genre it was as good as Womack and Womack's Love Wars or Teardrops
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