PLACE HOLDER

Albums I have most recently added to my iPod:

Dexter Gordon, Our Man In Paris
Joe Henderson, In 'n' Out
Lamb, Lamb
Lamb, Fear Of Fours
Lamb, What Sound
Lamb, Between Darkness And Wonder
Last Exit, Cassette Recordings '87
Last Exit, The Noise Of Trouble (Live In Tokyo)
Last Exit, Iron Path
Swallow The Sun, The Morning Never Came

ANOTHER YEAR GONE

Here's my Top Ten list for the Village Voice Pazz & Jop poll.

1. Anata - Under A Stone With No Inscription (Earache)
2. Bjork - Medulla (Atlantic)
3. Decapitated - The Negation (Earache)
4. Electric Wizard - We Live (Rise Above)
5. Ghostface - The Pretty Toney Album (Def Jam)
6. Lamb Of God - Ashes Of The Wake (Epic)
7. Mastodon - Leviathan (Relapse)
8. Necrophagist - Epitaph (Relapse)
9. Pig Destroyer - Terrifyer (Relapse)
10. Matthew Shipp - Harmony & Abyss (Thirsty Ear)


Matthew Shipp

Ghostface

Electric Wizard

I WANT IN

Where's my motherfucking money?

DEATH METAL

Darkest Hour are playing Cleveland. If you're in Cleveland, you could do worse. Their drum sound doesn't bother me as much as it did when I wrote that, though it's still crappy compared to, say, Grave's on Back From The Grave, and given how much Darkest Hour steal from Swedish death metal, they should have done a better job.

In other news, some piece of shit killed Dimebag Darrell. Nobody knows why just yet.

Damageplan weren't great, but they were better than the other Pantera offshoot project, Superjoint Ritual. I saw Superjoint on Ozzfest this summer, and Phil Anselmo spent more time ranting in a heroin haze than "singing" (now that he's a super-tough hardcore guy, his voice has gone completely to shit). The band stood behind him, waiting him out and almost literally tapping their feet as the guitars fed back and the crowd heckled. It was one of the worst performances I've ever seen.

Granted, Pantera weren't superb the time I saw them, either (1996 at Roseland, with Neurosis and Clutch opening up). They were too loud for the venue - the guitars were just a huge juddering roar, and their drums sounded like a skyscraper collapsing. Darrell could really play, though, and he had a sound lots of people ripped off, without ever capturing what was unique about it. He'll be missed. I wish I'd gone to see Damageplan when I had the chance.

VIRUS

This is one of the creepier articles I've read recently.

It's always fascinating, the things people will volunteer for. Reminds me of a Yakov Smirnoff routine: in Soviet Russia, you sell out your neighbors. In America, you sell to your neighbors! What a country!

I guess it's not much different than becoming an Avon or Amway or Popular Club Plan salesperson - you've gotta prey on your nearest and dearest, get 'em roped in just as tight as you are...except with this whole voluntary-viral-marketing thing, you don't even get paid. The "agents" are literally doing it just for the pleasure they take in getting one over on the people they're marketing to - the subterfuge, and the insider cool, are the reward.

People are fucked up.

And check out the anecdote, near the end, of a guy who posted a classified ad saying nothing more than "Join Me" with a phone number. Good thing he decided to make the respondents do good deeds, and didn't just start passing out suitcase nukes and anthrax vials, huh?

More material for the next book...

RUSTY METAL

Are Anthrax getting too reliant on back catalog regurgitation? I think so; you make the call.