You asked for it: Ten non-metal heavies.
AUGUST, 2008: I'll never forget the first time I made this simple realization. I was at a friend's house listening to old prog records, when he found on an old VHS JETHRO TULL bootleg performance and popped it into the clunky top-loader.
A couple of songs into the set, the band started up "Thick As a Brick", and in practically no time, Martin Barre and Barriemore Barlow were thundering through vicious, late-on-the-beat power chords - sheer audio heaven as far as I was concerned. I must have said something about how heavy this was, because my pal Kevin (a card-carrying member of the MARILLION fan club who wouldn't know 'heavy' if a piano was dropped on his head) said something like, "Today's stuff is so candy-assed compared to this." From that point forward, I started finding heaviness in other genres, embodied in pounding drums, dark lyrics, unusual sonic textures, or other strange avenues.
It's an unusual concept, this business of heaviness, a somewhat personal and abstract term. If I had to define it musically, I'd use the original version of "Black Sabbath" as a blueprint, a truly frightening combination of volume, distortion, dark subject matter, charging guitars and rumbling drums. Frankly, few platters will ever measure up to early SABBATH, but for those perhaps seeking to expand their horizons beyond the world of metal, varying combinations of these attributes can make for a grand listening experience.
We're all proto men: Rather than cop out to the obvious choices (like the big printed rags would do), I've tried to touch on some different genres and unusual choices. It is important to note that certain punk records, most of the SWANS catalog, and proto-metal stuff like THE STOOGES, BLUE CHEER, MC5, PINK FAIRIES, DUST, SIR LORD BALTIMORE etc. should all be explored to the nth degree. Want us to do a proto-metal buying guide? Hit the suggestion box and let us know! It's also important to note that one or two heavy tracks just doesn't cut it - this list is comprised of discs that are very consistent from start to finish, and heavy in unique non-metallic ways.
FUNKADELIC - "Live - Meadowbrook, Rochester,
Michigan 12th September 1971", 1996: It's a depressing fact that
most of our readers will never get to experience the free-flowing, chemical-induced,
commune of cosmic grooviness that was an early 70s FUNKADELIC performance.
Thank heaven the folks at Westbound had the wherewithal to capture this
fantastic collection of otherworldly wah attacks from Tawl Ross and Eddie
Hazel. Every song alternates between the band's trippy soul-drenched choruses
and explosions of jaw-droppingly heavy psych riffs, evidenced during the
first steamrolling version of "I Call My Baby Pussycat", and the 15-minute
jam, "All Your Goodies Are
Gone (The Loser's Seat)". The stunning juxtaposition
of creeping arpeggios and Hazel's gorgeous solos in the 14-minute version
of "Maggot Brain" is a dramatic high point of the show. Interestingly,
George Clinton comes clean later in the evening, making an announcement just
before "I'll Bet You" that he's high as a motherfucker. Thanks
for that, George - we would have never guessed.
DEAD CAN DANCE - "Within the Realm of
a Dying Sun", 1987: Former punks, the eclectic duo of Brendan Perry and Lisa Gerrard yielded many bold, dramatic works over the years, but this disc may be the richest of the lot. Employing violins, violas, tragic fanfares, and velvety vocals, DCD pulls listeners headlong into their dark sonic realm. The tribal drumming and hypnotic vocal harmony in "Cantara" packs in all the delicate, hook-mad despondency of Jarboe-era SWANS without resorting to distorted guitar riffs. The pulsing keys of "In the Wake of Adversity" drip
with somber beauty, and the church bells of "Summoning of the Muse" fill
the air with a grand, ghostly metallic essence.
Think of it as mandatory horizon-broadening music for metalheads.
THE BIRTHDAY PARTY - "Live 1981-82",
1999: Melbourne's patriarchs of spastic, black-clad art punk
knew few peers in terms of psychotic energy and dark humor, and this early
live document is a prime illustration of the band's unruly power. Tracks
like "The Friend Catcher" and "She's Hit" weave in and out of dismal bass
trudges, stumbling drum grooves and frenetic guitar slash. Nick Cave's hellish groans, whinnys and screaming freakouts approach Iggy-like levels of performance art madness. The clusterfuck delivery of "6" Gold Blade" makes ROLLINS, PIXIES, DANZIG and most of your other favorite bands sound as edgy and dangerous as an episode of "Full House". Not for the feint of heart.
DIES IRAE - "First", 1971 -
If you're one of those brain-blown acid fuzz aficionados regularly burning
lava lamps and refusing to purchase anything in a digital format, this
one-off platter of heavy kraut prog will just boil your bong water. In
fact, this disc blends the half-baked nomad psych of THE SCORPIONS "Lonesome
Crow" (actually pre-dating it by a year) with the cocky, harp-driven blues
of the second CACTUS record - sometimes within the same song! An odd combination
to be sure, but it stands to reason that many of our readers will be love-struck
the moment Gerd Wahlmann's scorching blues harp and "I'm Going Mad" vocal
delivery blows up their speakers in the opener, "Lucifer".
From there, it's a kaleidoscopic wet dream of jazzy drums, syncopated doo-doo-doos, subdued bass noodling, and raggedy blues riffs. It's just a shame that we never got to hear the "second".
HAUNTED GEORGE - "Pile O Meat", 2007:
If the late, great Quorthon had worshipped SLIM WHITMAN and THE GORIES
along with Satan, his music may have sounded something like this. Over
the space of 15 songs, "Haunted" George Pallow dispenses more ghoulish
hell-spawned distortion than some metal bands will ever encounter. The
flittering guitar abuse of "Invisible", the clanking evil racket of "Buried
Alive", and the rip-roaring kick-drum/guitar frenzy of ""My Penance" labor
to create one of the most distinctive and abrasive releases in
recent memory. Of course, the fact that George stirs up all this lip-smacking
cacophony as a one-man-band just makes the dang thing even more irresistible.
Buy or die.
BUTTHOLE SURFERS - "Locust Abortion Technician",
1987 - While many have showered THE BUTTHOLE SURFERS with kudos
for their vanguard blueprints of noise rock anarchy, few seem to mention
how guitar-oriented the early records were. In addition to all the weird
loops, squeaky voices, and kitschy bleeps, Paul Leary uncorks a maelstrom
of six-string mud-slinging. "The O-Men" blasts out of the blocks in a
pseudo-thrash scramble before swerving into psycho-computer chaos. "USSA"
garnishes whirring motorcycle rumbling with wild, warped bends, and "Graveyard"
boasts truckloads of hazy, gnarled stunt guitar. Of course, the dark samples
and fun-with-noise shtick of the album
has become just as legendary as the piss-filled whiffle bats and green-jello sex antics of their live shows. It's no surprise that Leary and crew inspired legions of chemically-imbalanced musical followers (including bands like THE FLAMING LIPS and BLACKTAIL) with records like this one.
LIGHTNING BOLT - "Wonderful Rainbow",
2003 - Instrumental noise rock is a curious genre. Some "enlightened"
indie fans just swear by drumless poot that sounds like variations
on the Norelco Shaver in F# Minor. Here's a hint: If you start
humming another song to yourself while the noise disc is playing, chance
are it's not capturing your interest. Fear not, there's no dozing
off amidst the HELMET-style drumming and taffy-twist riffage that this
Rhode Island duo lays down. Chromatic, engine-like pulses crackle and
groove, bolstered by robotic changes and tempo-shifts at every turn. Plus, everything
seems dwarfed by a massive bass tone pumping up your wazoo at all times.
Recommended for fans of KING CRIMSON, THE FLYING LUTTENBACHERS, or anybody who likes some rock in their noise
rock.
MY BLOODY VALENTINE - "Loveless", 1991
- It took Kevin Shields nearly three years of Ecstasy-binging and pedal-stringing to come up with just the right combination of sultry coos
and busted vacuum cleaner noises, but the end product was well worth the
wait. "Loveless" is a drop-the-needle type of record, dripping with otherworldly
swishes, chimes, slurs, and dreamy pop vocals. "I Only Said" may be the
strongest of the bunch, it's funhouse-mirror waves of dissonance and sweet
bagpipey distortion enveloping Bilinda's luscious voice like a warm blanket.
"When You Sleep" is fluttery butterfly girl-pop stuck in a G-Force simulator.
Absolutely nobody sounded like MBV, but that
didn't keep droves of alterna-rock imitators from springing up in the early 90s. It's the album that could actually convert headbangers to shoegazers, so be sure to leave a trail of breadcrumbs back to your SARCOFAGO records.
:WUMPSCUT: - "Bunkerator 7", 1995 -
It's a landmark moment here at Peacedogman.com, perhaps the first artist
we've recommended with actual punctuation in their name. Just
chalk it up as another critical mountain conquered. If you've tried to
get into industrial music, but find NEUBAUTEN too artsy-fartsy, and SKINNY
PUPPY or SEVERED HEADS too poppy, the brain-violating rhythms and dark
lyrics of :WUMPSCUT: could finally get ye hooked. Simple, delicate melodies
grow fangs and claws, mutating into cyclonic aggro-smashers. The devilish,
processed vocals of Rudy Ratzinger suggest some bizarre middle ground
between KREATOR and DEPECHE MODE. The battering tempo
changes in "Capital Punishment" and the looped siren wails of "Dying Culture (Second Movement)" mesh together for the musical equivalent of being dragged out of your car and shoved into a riot. It's 100% mindblowing, and 100% non-metal, so put that in your gas tank, tough guy.
BIG BLACK - "Atomizer", 1986 - Regardless of your feelings about Steve Albini's musical views and diatribes, he deserves considerable credit for taking hardcore punk into hyperdrive with BIG BLACK. The tinging guitars, sick bass grooves, and evil drum machine programming seemed like odd weapons of choice back in the day, but Albini used 'em to craft the most abrasive percussion, spastic riffs, and crazed delivery in tracks like "Kerosene" and "Bazooka Joe". Even the most savvy music downloaders would be well-served to pick up a real copy of this puppy, as the extensive liner notes serve to unlock the stories behind this mandatory collection of punk rock rage.
There you go. Ten discs from bands that don't wear bulletbelts, and they're all heavy, abrasive, and raw. Naturally this is just a starter list to get you going. I'll close with a couple of suggestions for seeking additional horizon-expanding suggestions. First, ask for consistency - otherwise you may get fifty titles from your favorite discussion board with only 3-4 heavy tunes apiece (even some metal albums are like that!) so look for recommendations that focus on 70-80% consistency or higher, song-wise. Also, be careful who you ask. Indie snobs that worship BEEFHEART and RADIOHEAD can get a little condescending, even attempting to 'cure' you of this tragic affection for metal that you've developed! Well, I don't need no doctor and neither do you. Take your time, look around, and if DEATH and CANNIBAL CORPSE are the only things that really get your adrenaline flowing, stick with 'em. 'Til next time...
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