Certitude

Illness. I hate it. I can guarantee that every year before Xmas I will be ill, really cold, bed ridden ill. For the last 7 years its been a clockwork operation tog et stuff done/not booked/out of the way because I will be incapable of doing stuff for the last week before Christmas day. So out comes every kind of medication I can get. This has always been my preffered choice of dealing with illness. Bombarb my body with every kind of medicine I can find. Then let them fight over my insides to rid me of whatever has taken up residence in my constantly deteriorating body. I did once crack a full pack of those Beechams pouches about 4 years ago. Staff do that night and I came down with illness that afternoon. Those things helped me through the whole ordeal. i could drink, I could enjoy myself. That said the last train home was a nightmare. I more than likely looked like a smack head coming down. All white and sweating, teeth chattering and shivering.
Not that I actually like Christmas, I don't want to give you taht impression. Not beena fan of it for about 12 years now. Last year was the best, I had the house to myself and just got pissed at home. played Guitar Hero, listened to some records and watched some DVD's. it was the perfect day.
Besides my illness I have been greatly excited to recieve the final mixed and mastered version of the Atavist track "Certitude". This is going on our 3-way split with Nadja and Sotari to coincide with the tour in November as well. Super sweet sounding and monstrous as is to be expected.
So as I was scanning the internet between bouts of boredom and crippling illness I came across some pretty good stuff. First off some nice downloads for you....not my work but the work of Dawn Of The Dead blog....
Gridlink - Amber Grey
Jon Chang is back...I love Discordance Axis so I love this. Its that simple. Fast, harsh grind with screaming vocals. password : xdotdx
Luddite Clone - The Arsonist And The Architect
Very overlooked in Relapses catalogue. They only did this EP and splits with Esoteric and Burnt By The Sun. But was quite an eye opener for me when I first heard them. They sounded heavy as fuck and just had this aggro vibe to them. It was basically grind but with huge grooves and enough DM influence to make the Job For a Bobboys and Despised Irons of this world take note. Fans of Human Remains would not be dissapointed. Members have gone onto Kiss The Cynic. but LC where what it was about. Oliver recommends highly.
so I need to shake this evil from inside me tonight, or at least keep it at bay tommorow as Doomriders / SSS / Tortuga ? The Freezing Fog are playing Manchester tommorow night. Me and Macky will be in attendance. So should you.

Smells Like Rain

in continuing ( 9 years so far) effort to renovate the house. ir eturned home from work this afternoon after spending 2 hours of driving around the North West blasting NWA ( YES!) to find that the proposed sand-blasting of the front of our house had worked but for some mysterious reason, had left the kitchen and front room, replete with a layer of dust/sand over everything. Including, my COFFEE MACHINE. Absolute bollocks. Cowboy builders or what.
This wwek's highlights have been the recieving of a B/O by Foreigner and the suprise re-issue of "Breed The Killers" by Earth Crisis. Now, I know some people bum "Firestorm" and "Destroy The Machines", both good albums in there own right. But "Breed..." Just kicked it in the cock for me. Unqeustionably there most cohesive album, in terms of song writing and playing. Fuck off if you can't see that fact.
My money worries still annoy me but have been sidetracked by the discovery of Cherubs. This awesome, skronky, noise-rock band from Austin TX. Just pure dirt and filthy riffage. The album "Heroin man" is so so so so good. They split in 95 I think it was and this album came out in 94. Track it down. Or alternativly just follow this link below.. from the awesome Lo Res Viscera blog. Worth checking out.

Cherubs - "Heroin man"

This alongside Breach, Diamanda Galas, Unbroken and NWA have made this week, that bit more worth waking up for. Its more things that shouldn't bother me, and i tell them they don't bother, really do. Ah..such is life. Roll on death and that. This coming weekend should hopefully be fun. Still on the look out for a girl who likes dirty music and boozing. I have a vacancy that needs filling by those skills. Anyhoo.... I ahve the new Coffins to lsiten to so am going to sharply exit to achieve that feat.....I will leave you with.....THIS!

One of many laugh-out-loud scenes from the awesome Darkplace series. Get into it.

My Firstborn Will Surely Be Born Blind

Geeky music bit now. But I was lsitening to this album today. One of my most favourite albums ever. its been with me since I was 17, and I still find have the same feeling towards it and it still stirs the same emotions up inside me today, as it did then. " What is this magical album then Oliver?" I hear you ask. The legendary Kiss It Goodbye! and "She Loves Me, She Loves Me Not".
They where the band that ex-Deadguy vocalist Tim Singer and guitarist Keith Huckins formed in Seattle after there move north from New Jersey. They had a demo circulating for a while but Revelation put them in the studio with Billy Anderson and this is the result. A powerfull, emotional, cathartic, vitriolic wall of sound. That is equal parts aggro, twisted and fragile. That sounds really pretentious, but it works so well. This album accompanied me on so many train journeys to gigs. I had a very worn tape of it, that played on rotation in the days when no one could drive and you always travelled to Leeds or Birmingham ona train to watch some bands and then ended up staying in the train station until the morning for your next train home. It was these journeys that sunk the album into my brain. every little drum fill, every shard of discordance, every twisted riff. But Tim Singer's vocals are what make this album stand up. Catharsis doesn't describe it at all. One of my friends always used to say it is the sound of one man having a complete breakdown, and they recorded it. Dramatic, tearfull, aggro, emotionally barren etc etc... I have tried for years to find some information on what the his songs are about, you can make out phrases and line shere and there but the booklet never gave it away and over the years I have pieced together some info, mostly revolving around some issue with heroin and family. Thats my best lead so far.
I would have liked to have uploaded this for the very few people that read this blog but I can't really be bothered. Other than that you should really pick this up if you ahve any interst in emotional music or jsut want to spend an hour with a twisted, fearfull, chaotic mess. then this is the album you NEED to hear. I think Revelation mailorder still have copies of it.

Other news, my new car is now named...The Whipmaster. After one of the best Bill Murray sketches on Saturday Night Live. Watch


Plus I have put up links to 2 of my favourite blogs. The Dying Machine and Lo Res Viscera. both full of tons of amazing stuff, and you don't have to feel guilty about downloading as nearly all the stuff is very rare out of print vinyl only...more bonus.
While your there check out my good friend Macky's photography blog. He is an artist of the camera. Amazing work.

On another note, get into Dead Raven Choir. " My Firstborn Will Surely Be Born blind" is so good. Alongside " The Sporting Life" by Diamanda Galas and John Paul Jones have been an inspiration this week.

Fuck you all.

Flinch Of The North Star

What a waste of 1 hour 32 minutes. Well, actually just an hour, as I skipped through certain sections. Whats he talking about you wonder?.... The '95, live action, American production of Fist Of The North Star. Absolutly gutted. What a massive opurtunity wasted.
You see, I was always a fan of the original, Japanese OAV from '85. When Manga Video released it over here in the early 90's it was one of my most favourtie anime's. I then worked back to the original Anime series and the Manga collections. What was not to like? Fighting, cool martial arts, tons of gore, post-apocalyptic setting. Just awesome. The original OAV condensed the long running series into a 90 minute animated movie. Which was well done.
Now I remember hearing about this movie while it was in production. And at the time thought, cool! I look forward to seeing that.

GOOD
If only I knew then what I know now. The film is a complete turkey. First of Gary Daniels, as Kenshiro. He might look the part somewhat, but his sub- ( and I mean Hunt For Red October sub) man -with-no-name routine is terrible. The actual fighting is somewhat well done. But ina world where he can make peoples heads and bodies fly apart and explode, the live-action working of this technique looks so comical. Just some prosphetic/mechanical bulge on the enemies body then you don't see the actual death. Whats more horrible is the actual enviroment. it all takes place on sound stages, in studio's. So the nuclear-ravaged landscape looks like a Dr Who set.

BAD
The acting is worse than the voice acting in the original dub. Lots of liberties taken with characters and the enviroment. Jagi is now Jackel, and played by Chris Penn, in a completly hammed up way. But worse of all is Malcolm Macdowell. As Ryuken. What a waste of talent. He also acts as narrator so you don't have to think about anything really. Tracey Walters and Melvin Van Peebles also die on there arse. Absolutly gutted.
Despite wasting my time watching that, I did go to the car auction and am now the proud owner of some new wheels. ROCK ON! A 8 year old, Rover. 2.5 litre, Turbo Diesel. Go's like the clappers and looks sweet. Lets see how long this lasts us eh?
So what has been rocking Olivers stereo.........Nowt really.
Except the lovely sounds of Warning, Harkonen and Asva.
All I need now is the love of a good ( or just any) women and I am set to go.

WHY I HATE MOTORING...............

THIS CAR............not this one but that model. You see I recently..oh about 4 months ago purchased one froma auction. Fair price, low mileage, 1.8 TDI. Top stuff I thought.
A few little things to alter here and there but not bad.
Then about a week ago it completely gave up on the way to work, black clouds on the horizons, spilling from the bonnet, the stench of over burnt diesel fuel. It wasn't good. A later diagnostic by my friend, a mechanic, revealed the fact that the turbo injection was no more, in fact it had never been there in the first place. this in mind, the engine had decided to blow its head gasket and corrode the front part of the exhaust. Gutted, I have been sweating about what to do. Until today. When it has been put up for a quick sale. Either as scrap or whatever. it cost me 450 rips and will cost another 800 to get it fixed. it ain't worth it at all.
My luck with cars has enver been to good. My previous car..forever known as Jerusalem..a Nissan Micra, fell to pieces, or rather the clutch did. Then the oil blew in the engine.
Prior to taht a Rover Metro I owned decided to have an oil leak and not tell me until the engine blew and froze on my during the worst snow this country ahd seen in years. Meaning a very expensive rescue and 4 hours spent stood on a motorway embankment in the cold. Grimm and kvlt in equally depressing measures. Its enough to make you want to stop driving.
What a shit eh? Being in the position of financially broke ( indeed, I have about £2.00 to my name) this means no transport whatsoever. A visit to another auction today brought the hoplesness of the situation ever closer.
Anyhow, despite everything being shit, the Ergon EP is selling okay, and we have had some nice feedback from it, I have re-discovered the joys of Envy ( the Japanese band, not the sin) thanks to free copy of there recent DVD by General Naughton, top stuff and been flirting like a bastard with people to cheer myself up.
So as a little ray of sunshine in your world...here is a download link for a band I discovered thanks to the awesome Cosmic Hearse blog site.
A under-rated classic, long forgotten and that slipped under the radar. ladies and gentlemen, I give you Ashbury....

Garage metal and 70's rock-terrific.

Thats all for now.

The Ugliest Smile In Rock'n'Roll

How do you spend a obscene amount of money in a week? Well I some how have managed to do that. Dickhead me. As far as I can recall it was on some pretty good stuff and things so I shouldn't really grumble. I think it was mainly booze really. But what fun it was spending.
Between battling broken cars and financial loss I have been whoring my bands EP out to people. It officially came out on Monday. The Ergon Carousel is loose. Get it from Holy Roar Records Big Cartel page.
My other band Atavist have the Nadja colaaboration out on Profound Lore Records as well. As well as a 3-way split CD to coincide with the Nadja/Atavist/Sotari tour next month. Sweet.
A good friend of mine recently made a group of us sit through a compilation of 80's music vids, which he makes a point of listening/watching before we always go out. These are a memory of that DVD. And I have never seen them before.
First off....

Its so funny how creepy he is about this girl, sniffing her hair and everything. And gone are the days when the videos speech ran over the music. What a shame.
Then there is this...gotta love Chevy Chase. And the obvious bass break on this song. With phase and everything courtesy of the great Bakhiti Kumalo, which despite popular rumour is actually played ona 6-string bass, but the second half is the first half reversed in pre-production. Geeky fact.

You should try and track down Chevy Chase's album he released back in the 80's. A trend amongst actors at the time.