8-Album Mind: Lefties, Commies, and Hypocrites

Rage Against the Machine - Evil Empire ♠♠♠
Queensryche - Operation: Mindcrime LIVE ♠♠♠♠ REVIEW
Rammstein - Sehnsucht ♠♠♠
Rammstein - Mutter ♠♠♠♠
Rammstein - Reise, Reise ♠♠♠♠♠
Rammstein - Rosenrot ♠♠♠♠

Rage Against the Machine... frankly, they're the band I love to hate. I hate the rapping, but I love the metal riffs. In particular, I hate the fact that for a band that preaches the greatness of anarchy and anti-capitalism they made their debut on SONY RECORDS. So far, I haven't read about them donating all the money they made to the homeless or anything, so I doubt they hate Capitalism that much, especially when you consider how much merch has their fuckin' name on it! I've been wanting to write a rant about these assholes for the longest time... look for it within the week.

Meanwhile, Queensryche first recording of Operation: Mindcrime is virtually flawless. The tiny imperfections by the band actually make the album worth buying, as well as the crowd screaming, "You'll never get away!" in "The Needle Lies", one of my favorite songs on the album.

Rammstein has always opposed facisim, and the song "Links 2,3,4" was written to basically tell the world that, no, they are not Nazi's. In fact, they went so far as to name the song "LEFT, 2, 3, 4". In fact (sorry), the number "two" pronounced in the song is similar to the Communist version of "2". The entire point was that they were not only lefties, but they were pretty far left. It would have worked.... if most people spoke Germany, too the time to actually understand and get the lyrics, and the song didn't use a military beat that sounded like, you guessed it, a Nazi Germany song. Seriously, I bought this album because that song made me think they WERE Nazi's. I'm sure I'm not exactly alone.

A lot of the reviews for Rammstein albums, namely after the 2nd (I never bought their first, Herzeleid). Oddly enough, Herzeleid is the #1 METAL ALBUM ON AMAZON.COM! No, seriously. At least it was when I posted it. For an album cover that looks like what would be a Backstret Boys album 2 years later, it seems that I should buy it. At any rate, every review for the band from Mutter - Rosenrot has always been how it wasn't as good as Shensucht. W

ell, Shensucht was mediocre at best! Seriously, think about it; in 1997, a good modern metal band was hard to find. Pantera had been around to long, Static-X was a year away, and Fear Factory was it. A bunch of Germans come over, take Fear Factory's concept and make it kick-ass-ier, and BAM! Great album for the time. Sense then, they're released "Reise, Reise", which I think is their best. It took what made the last two albums great and with "Amerika" and "Moskau", took the humor and political commentary to a head. "Mein Tell" was just incredible. That album stayed with me longer than I ever imagined it would.

8-Album Mind: The Brainwashed Do Not Yet Know They Are Brainwashed

The Plasmatics - New Hope for the Wretched ♠♠♠
The Plasmatics - Metal Priestess (EP) ♠♠♠
The Plasmatics - Beyond the Valley of 1984 ♠♠♠♠♠
The Plasmatics - Coup D'Etat ♠♠♠♠♠
Punk-O-Rama III ♠♠♠♠
Punk-O-Rama 5 ♠♠♠

Things looking up, business picking up (sort of), and decided to listen one of my favorite bands, The Plasmatics. The Plasmatics are, without a doubt, the single greatest and important bands that you may have never heard of. This isn't just the writings up some deranged fan; this is coming form someone who has dedicated his life to learning about anything and all things metal and punk.

In 1979, The Plasmatics were selling out CBGB's whenever they played and, on the success of some of the greatest live shows ever (involving lead singer Wendy O. Willams slashing tv's with chainsaws), they released a single and an EP. By 1981, Wendy O. had brought the Mohawk into not only punk, but also into pop culture. Before the album was released, she was beaten by Milwaukee police after a show, prompting the album "Beyond the Valley of 1984" to become their best disc.

By 1983, World Domination for this art-rock inspired punk band was within sight! Or, it would have been, if not for MTV refusing to play the incredibly expensive, and equally impressive, video for "The Damned" off the album "Coup D'Etat". The album stripped away some of the punk and added a more metal tinge to the group (or simply brought it out, really) and that album is really on par with Metallica's "Kill 'em All". Without a doubt, The Plasmatics were THE most dangerous band in the world in 1983.

Every hallmark of punk, everything you think makes a good punk show... it most likely can be traced back to The Plasmatics. It is a shame that the annals of music history has almost left this band untouched and unremembered by the punk and metal communities at large, and that the memory of Wendy O's fierce personallity is left to the diehard fans who got to see her and those of use who could only wish we did.

8-Album Mind: Tonight the Stars REVOLT!!!!!!!

Primus - Tales From the Punchbowl ♠♠♠♠
Primus - Animals Should Not Try to Act Like People ♠♠
Brain Posehn - Live In: Nerd Rage ♠♠♠♠
Pro-Pain - Prophets of Doom ♠♠♠♠
Probot - Probot ♠♠♠♠
Powerman 5000 - Tonight the Stars Revolt ♠♠♠♠♠

Admittedly, I'm exhausted right now and I really want to go to bed. All I really want to saw is that Powerman 5000 is incredibly under-rated and this album, though a success at the time, seems to go unannounced 90% of the time by the metal world. The Probot disc kicks ass, Pro-Pain released "Prophets of Doom" in 2005 and people should have paid more attention to it then and now. Fuck, it feels like your in an empty room with these guys yelling and playing metal riffs; cool that it's just for you, but kinda sad that no one else at all seems to notice this album. Even on Amazon.com the disc only has 5 reviews!

Brian Poshen.... you know, I actually have a story about this album. In the closing weeks of summer in 2006, I was in Relapse Records just on a whim. The store clerk, a lovely blonde with these long dreadlocks, informed me that Brian Posehn was upstairs. "What? Is this a joke?" "No, he's upstairs. And there's free pizza." So one of my favorite comedians was upstairs after releasing a new album, was performing that night across the street at the TLA... AND there was free pizza? Kick ass! I went up there... and it was Brian at a table with posters, his new album on CD, and even a picture-disc Vinyl. I didn't say much, I was nervous, and I got him to sign my Slayer Skateboard (the signatures gone now... damn it), the CD, the poster, and the Vinyl record. Really cool guy, too!

Primus? Well, what can I say? " Professor Nutbutter's House of Treats" is the best song on that album, and " Wynona's Big Brown Beaver" kicks ass. And the EP, "Animals", only has one good song, and that's " Pilcher's Squad". Get it for the DVD.

8-Album Mind: No, Seriously...

Primus

Suck On This ♠♠♠
Sailing the Seas of Cheese ♠♠♠♠
Pork Soda ♠♠♠♠♠

Yeah, only 3 albums today... it was the type of day where you really are torn between having fun and just being bummed. Sorry for the personal note, but what can I say...

Primus has always held a rather odd space in my collection and the band is always just hit and miss. Today I finally was able to realize just why this band is so damn good. The funk-metal styling of Les Claypool reached a head on "Pork Soda", and album that saw him pick up a 6-String Fretless Bass (The Rainbow Bass) and a stand-up base as well. Choice cuts? "Tommy the Cat", "My Name is Mud", "Welcome to this World", "Mr. Kringle", "John the Fisherman", "Damn Blue Collared Tweekers", and "Here Come the Bastards".

8-Album Mind: Just Losing Your Mind

Poison - Look What the Cat Dragged In ♠♠♠
Poison - Swallow This LIVE ♠ SOLD!
Possessed - Seven Churches ♠♠♠♠
Pride & Glory - Pride & Glory ♠♠♠♠

Another stressful and boring day, the type of day where fun takes a backseat to you not going insane. Despite The Plasmatics being first up in my order this week, I decided to save it for a day when I could use Wendy O. Williams and the rest of the group to my full advantage.

Poison's "Look What the Cat Dragged In" is actually a recent purchase for me and it's something I know that I would have enjoyed more when I was 16 and just getting into metal. I actually loved hair bands alongside Metallica and Megadeth, but when I got into Anthrax and, eventually, Slayer, my taste for glam has been really low. The album is actually solid, and all I really can say is that if your into Glam and Poison, tracks like "Talk Dirty to Me", "Cry Tough", and "Want Some, Need Some".

Meanwhile, the live album, "Swallow This Live" simply tanks. Get the greatest hits instead.

Possessed "Seven Churches" is a landmark metal release and, if your like me, the first time you heard it you may had wondered why. Well, after hearing it again today, I can honestly say that this blend of thrash and black metal that resulted in, what else, death metal, truly is a masterpiece!

Finally, Pride & Joy, Zakk Wylde's original solo group, simply kicks ass on it's one and only album. An undisputed masterpiece of the 1994 music scene, it seemelessly combines metal with Lynard Skynard, Led Zepplin, and blues and hard rock to create a freat album. Even when tracks like "Losing Your Mind" and countless others aren't rocking, the bonus disc with the cover of "The Wizard" and the incredible Zepplin's "In My Time Of Dyin".

All in all, good set...

8-Album Mind: Shattered Peace

Pantera - Official Live: 101 Proof ♠♠♠♠
Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon ♠♠♠♠
Pink Floyd - The Wall ♠♠♠♠♠
Pitbull Daycare - Unclean ♠♠♠

I have been basically sitting on those two Pink Floyd albums for almost 2 years and finally heard them both for the first time ever at, of all places, work. I never was a big Pink Floyd fan, and just having two "legendary" albums sit unlistened for nearly 2 years shows about how much faith I had in the experience. But I must say, I was both pleasantly surprised and mildly disappointed.

"Dark Side of the Moon" has been hailed a classic and, frankly, rightfully so. "Speak/Breath to Me" is actually a new favorite now since it was just so mellow yet dark and heavy. The ending tracks, "Brain Damage" and "Eclipse", are just perfect and ends the album on the perfect note. The album brims with genius escaping and the only thing bogging it is, well, pretentiousness. Whenever you become so hellbent on creating something perfect, you can overkill it and that's basically what happens at times on this disc.

"The Wall" was, of course, absolutely amazing! I had basically heard the album already in 2002 when I saw the film of the same name, and this was, in a sense, a referendum. Being able to just sit back and listen to this entire album. The result was an album about "Pink" (Roger Waters) and his life. The album rocks incredibly hard, is dark at times and all and all comes out to a good release. The album, in this era of CD's, could have actually fit on one disc, but keeping it the 2 discs it was works to it's advantage by giving you a much-needed rest. Their is no real plot, just a loose concept driving the points home, although "The Trial", my favorite track on this album, sums everything up really, really well.

Pitbull Daycare was an OK romp through the industrial-meets-metal-meets-dance hybrid that dominated for a short time at the turn of the century, tossing in a good dose of punk sensibilities and 2 covers (Queen "Sheer Heart Attack" and REM "It's the End of the World"). The last song and cover, "It's the End of the World", actually winds up being the highlight... a little sad since the band does dish out some great tracks, but compared to their 2 incredible covers, they don't shine as much as they should.

Finally, Pantera. Live. Kick-ass! The album is a testament to a live Pantera show, although anyone who saw them will say you can't come close until you've been to the real thing. Album is great, and the adiditon of two new studio tracks, "

8-Album Mind: Stress and Peace

Today's been just an incredibly frustrating and stressful day, and even though I'm going to bed soon, it still isn't over. I just learned that Green Tea, as calming as it's been to me, actually contains 1/3rd the caffeine in coffee. I had about a liter of the stuff... I feel like crap. Lot of other things tying into that, but never mind that.

Today's playlist:

Pantera - The Best of Pantera ♠♠♠♠
Pearl Jam - Pearl Jam ♠ SOLD
Pentagram - Day of Reckoning ♠♠♠
Pig Destroyer - Terrifyer ♠♠♠♠
Pig Destroyer - Phantom Limb ♠♠♠
Pennywise - Land of the Free? ♠♠♠♠
A Perfect Circle - Mer De Noms ♠♠♠♠

Pantera's "Best of" basically was why I decided to buy the rest of the Pantera discography, largely because the "Reinventing the Steel" material was so kick-ass! Not much to say... I've had it since it came out and I still haven't seem the damn DVD!

Pearl Jam's self-titled last album was disappointing. I bought it when it came out in 2006, and it's something I've only listened to a few times. I kept it because it sounded like nothing else I owned and I liked it... and now I'm selling it because I realized that, as cohesive as it is, it isn't anything great. "World Wide Suicide" is the only redeeming track on this disc.

Pentagram... man, along with that Pearl Jam disc, I barely listened to this one! I gave it a spin today... won't say I was overly impressed, but yes, it was todays surprise album. The doom-laden guitars that raise a goblet to Black Sabbath actually won me today.

Meanwhile, the death-grindmetal antics of southern metallers Pig Destroyer gave me a double-shot of entertainment. From "Terrifyer's" pure-fucking-grindcore bombardment through 21 tracks, to "Phantom Limbs" more thrash-metal leaning tracks, Pig Destoryer simply kicks ass!!! Checking out Pennywise's "Land of the Free?" finally had that album click; it was recorded and released the summer before 9/11 and it seems that a few bands (like GWAR's "Violence has Arrived" and Powerman 5000 "Anyone for Doomsday?") somehow was able to tune into the mindset of the evil ones who would hurt America.

Finally, my guilty pleasure, A Perfect Circle's "Med De Noms", or "Sea of Names". Most tracks were based on people that James knew, and the standouts are "Rose", Judith" (Ironically, the name of my grandmother and mother, respectively), "Magedlina", and "Thinking of You". Great band, check them out!

That's it for today. Look for more postings and rants tomorrow. Also, the reason I picked the Pearl Jam pick? Check out Eddie Vader wearing a Plasmatics shirt! KICK ASS!!!!

8-Album Mind: Prince of Darkness

Ozzy Osbourne -

Tribute ♠♠♠♠
No Rest for the Wicked ♠♠♠♠
No More Tears ♠♠♠♠♠
Black Rain ♠

Today's list is both short and just one artist: Ozzy. Just say Ozz. Literally.

Well, not really. I actually listened to nearly all of "Cowboys from Hell" by Pantera, but I'm not counting that because I plan on really listening and getting into it tomorrow. It was the type of day at work where, really, you and no one else wants to work. Ozzy is kinda good for that; it passes the time, entertains you, and makes you smile.

Now, I'll admit, I'm one of the first guys to out Ozzy (even as a fan) of a lot of things, namely the fact he doesn't write a lot of the songs he sings, or he's only as good as the guitarists he works with (Ultimate Sin, anyone?). That aside, albums like "Tribute", "No Rest for the Wicked", and"No More Tears" are some of the best and strongest albums he has recorded, and are some of the best ever made overall. No man is an island, and Ozzy proves it time and time again whenever he goes into the studio with a bunch of great musicians and writers.

What can I say about "Tribute" that hasn't been said a million times? Hearing Randy Rhodes, arguably the best guitarist Ozzy ever had, play Ozzy's material live, as well as shred on old classics from the Sabbath era is just great! Hearing Zakk bring his own brand of guitar playing to "No Rest for the Wicked" was great and, despite Rolling Stone's negative review (just a writer being an ass), the album has since gone on to be hailed as a classic.

"No More Tears" has to be Ozzy's strongest album to date, with tracks such as "Mr. Tinkertrain", "I Don't Want to Change the World", the title track, and the tearjerker "Mama I'm Coming Home"... this album is just incredible and hard to resist.

In hindsight, I regret selling off "Ozzmosis" and "Down to Earth" because the former really was a good album. I sold it really out of spite and because at the time I was "growing up" and "maturing", terms that I used to justify not liking what I used to and trying not to look like I was still in high school. I think we all have albums we bought during high school and after we graduate, we kinda want them to stay behind as well. "Ozzmosis" was a good album, though. "Down to Earth" was OK, and I still own the cassette of "Original Sin", although I only listened to the thing once....

Meanwhile, "Black Rain" feels less like Ozzy even trying to put out a solid album and more like Sharon trying to milk her golden calf for he's worth. Sadly, Sharon's influence over Ozzy since 2000 has been a reason for a lot of the displeasure metalheads have had for Ozzy lately, and it's a shame. The fact that Ozzy recorded an album that felt incredibly rushed and sloppy in order to sell a few thousand more copies with the promise of a pre-sale code for the free Ozzfest in 2007 (complete with cardboard packaging and no booklet), later to be re-released in a jewel case with booklet and all (during Ozzfest, no less!).... the album will most likely forever stand as Ozzy's worst since "Ultimate Sin".

8-Album Mind: Bastard Nation

OVERKILL

• The Years of Decay ♠♠♠♠
• Horrorscope ♠♠♠♠♠
• I Hear Black ♠♠♠
• W.F.O. ♠♠♠♠
• Wrecking Your Neck ♠♠♠
• The Killing Kind ♠♠♠♠
• From the Underground and Below ♠♠♠♠
• Coverkill ♠♠♠

Overkill is, without a doubt, one of my Top 10 bands of all time. Considering what I listen to, it's not surprising. In fact, it's easy to say they have to be Top 5, along with Megadeth, Devin Townsend (including SYL, Solo, etc), The Plasmatics, and Slayer. So don't look for me to harp on albums here, it's just one simple rule: BUY THEM ALL!!!!!!!

Overkill is the incredibly rare band, one that even those in my Top 5 (save Devin Townsend), that can simply release an album on a consistent basis and even their worst is better than a lot of people's best. Since 1985 and the release of "Feel the Fire", you would be hard-pressed to find an Overkill album that didn't sit well with the others. Which brings me to the Surprise of the Day, "I Hear Black". Originally released in 1993, this post-Nirvana disc saw Overkill grow and expand their sound by mixing their metal roots with heavy doses of blues and Black Sabbath. The result is actually mixed; some choice cuts, namely "Dreaming in Columbian" and "World of Hurt", do more than a lot of metal bands could at the time without losing an ounce of heaviness, an even RARER feat!

That aside, the best cuts from today?

Bastard Nation, E.vil N.ever D.ies, Elimination, Time to Kill, It Lives, Cold Hard Fact, Battle, God-Like, Blood Money (THE Most under-rated Overkill Song EVER!!!!), Thanx for Nothing, Solitude, I Hate, and about 50 more I didn't name.

Oddly enough, today wasn't great; wound up getting really angry most of the day and got a last-minute project I needed to do in 2 hours. All-in-all... you know, it was pretty good.

8-Album Mind: The Songs Kick the Same Amount of Ass

Otep - House of Secrets ♠♠♠♠
Otep - the_Ascension ♠♠♠♠♠ REVIEW
Overkill - Feel The Fire ♠♠♠
Overkill- Taking Over ♠♠♠♠
Overkill - Under the Influence ♠♠♠
Overkill - !!!Fuck You!!! And Then Some ♠♠♠

Today's (or yesterdays) albums and the rest of the week is just going to be killer, no filler, albums. I'm a big Overkill fan, so it's going to be cool to write a little bit about them here and there. Not much to write other than if you don't have any of these albums, just go out and buy them!

8-Album Mind: Maturity and Innocence

Today's list is actually kinda cool. A little expected from me, but not really:

The Offspring - Splinter ♠♠♠♠♠
The Offspring - Why Don't You Get a Job? ♠♠♠
The Offspring - Defy You ♠♠♠
The Offspring - Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace ♠♠♠♠
Omegalord - Omegalord ♠ GONE!
Opeth - Ghost Reveries ♠♠♠♠♠
Orgy - Candyass ♠ SOLD!
Otep - Jihad EP ♠♠♠
Orgy - Vapor Tansmission ♠♠♠♠♠
Otep - Sevas Tra ♠♠♠♠

Let's deal with the duds first. I originally bought Orgy's "Candyass" used online a year ago for a dollar. Mainly got it because I loved "Vapor Transmission", but this album simply shows them trying and failing. The first track normally sets the tone for an album, and "Social Enemies" shows that they are not going to kick your ass or make an interesting album. That was fixed in the follow-up, but that's later on. Omegalord is a local band here in Philly and after nostalgically holding onto the disc since I met them in 2003, I decided to sell it since... eh, not for me.

The Offspring did something few thought they could do; grow up. After releasing the pure-punk furocity on previous albums, they reached maturity and started to write heavier and lyrically incredible albums like "Splinter". Although only in retrospect is this album being praised, it was basically a big step forward for The Offspring. It's always cool to have your bands grow up with you... well, not always, but still. Basically, the entire album is gold, save "Worst Hangover Ever". "Rise and Fall" rocks incredibly hard with a mix of just about everything The Offspring have done.

Meanwhile, Opeth kicked ass with Ghost Reveries, showing that, yes, 10-minute+ long progressive metal songs CAN be interesting and not boring. Meanwhile, on the other end of the spectrum in metal, Otep shows that she and her band began as a more rap and alt-metal outfit, infusing her incredible poetry and writing with fierce vocals and even harsher riffs.

8-Album Mind: The Kids Aren't Alright

Another day, another haul! Today's actually is going to include one other days worth of CD's, but it's only the first three.

Nuclear Assault- Third World Genocide ♠ SOLD! CRAP!
Obituary - Slowly We Rot ♠♠♠
Obituary - Cause of Death ♠♠♠
Obituary - Frozen in Time ♠♠♠♠
The Offspring - The Offspring ♠♠♠
The Offspring - Ignition ♠♠♠♠
The Offspring - Smash ♠♠♠♠♠
The Offspring - Ixnay on the Hombre ♠♠♠♠
The Offspring - Americana ♠♠♠♠♠
The Offspring - Conspiracy of One ♠♠♠♠♠
Opeth - Deliverance ♠♠♠♠
VANS - Off The Wall Vol 5 ♠♠

The Nuclear Assault album, "Third World Genocide", was just a god-awful abomination. Generic riff's, terrible vocals... CRAP! Obituary's early offerings may had been groundbreaking at the time, but they now come off as OK discs. "Frozen in Time" showed they could actually surpass it.

Thee Offspring is one of my favorite groups, and getting to listen to so many albums in one day was a welcomed treat! I held off on the last two albums and singles until tomorrow so I had some more punk later on. Choice cuts; "The Kids Aren't Alright", "Americana", "Pay the Man", "Jennifer Lost the War", "Session", "L.A.P.D.", "Bad Habit", "Cool to Hate", and "Gone Away".

Opeth "Deliverance" was today's surprise; I had contemplated selling my Opeth albums since they never clicked but today this one did. Simply a great album! Only 6 songs, but clocking in at a little over a hour long... this is something you listen to when you want to listen to something a little heady.

The VANS Punk Comp, "Off The Wall Vol 5", is simply "meh". I've been tempted to sell it more times than I can count, but it's stayed simply because of 2 or 3 songs. In fact, I got into The Distillers becuase of it. Might sell, might not... a day or two will tell.

8-Album Mind: Fat Mike is Still Fat

Today, NOTHING but NOFX! Great day for it, I love NOFX! Hands down, one of my favorite bands.

Today's Playlist:

So Long, And Thank For All the Shoes ♠♠♠♠
The Decline ♠♠♠♠♠
Pump Up The Valuum ♠♠♠♠
Bottles To the Ground ♠♠♠
BYO Split Series 3: NOFX/Rancid ♠♠♠♠
45 or 46 Songs That Weren't Good Enough to Go on Our Other Records ♠♠♠♠
The War on Errorism ♠♠♠♠♠
Never Trust A Hippy ♠♠♠
Wolves in Wolves Clothing ♠♠♠
They've Actually Gotten WORST Live! ♠♠♠♠♠

This is a time where going disc by disc is going to just take too damn long! Fuck, 10 discs?! Actually, 11! "So Long" was the first NOFX album I ever bought, and it was after an assistant teacher in my high school played their cover of "Champs Elysee"... and I started headbanging in class. I hated that class, but that moment alone changed my life and made me a fan of NOFX!

"The War on Errorism" and "The Decline" are undisputed classic albums in my eyes!

Favorite tracks today in no order are "The Decline", "Golden Boys", "Separation of Punk and Skate", "Fuck the Kids", "Lori Meyers", "I'm Telling Tim", "All of Me", "USA-holes", "You Will Lose Faith", "The Man That I Killed", "Louise", and "Dinosaurs Will Die". Download, buy, whatever, these songs are great!

The main surprise of the day was "Wolves in Wolves Clothing". I've never been a fan of this album and today was basically judgment day. The first song, "60%", is basically what the album is; 60% good, 40% crap. Really hodgepoge and such, but the track "You Will Lose Faith", touched a nerve with some of the most deadly serious lyrics I've ever heard.

8-Album Mind: Tragic Kingdom

Sometimes a letter in a music collection can actually define it. Sometimes it's a genre, other times a period of time. In this case, the letter "N" has basically defined what music was back in the 90's. In fact, the 90's literally was the "N" decade; Ninety's.

After yesterday and Nine Inch Nails, today it was Nirvana, No Doubt, and NoFX.

The list:

Nirvana - "Nevermind" ♠♠♠♠♠
Nirvana - "Insecticide" ♠♠♠♠♠
Nirvana - "With the Lights Out" Discs 2 and 3 ♠♠♠
No Doubt - "Tragic Kingdom" ♠♠♠
NOFX - "Liberal Animation" ♠♠♠
NOFX - "S&M Airlines" ♠♠♠♠
NOFX - "White Trash, Two Heebs and a Bean" ♠♠♠♠
NOFX - "Punk in Drublic" ♠♠♠♠♠
NOFX - "I Heard They SUCK Live!" ♠♠♠♠

Fuck, too many good albums today! I'm going to keep "With the Lights Out" because it wound up being a decent listen. Not great, but OK. "Liberal Animation" is the most "conservative" NOFX album if only because of Fat Mike saying "Fuck you!" to all the vegetarians (which he later became). "Punk in Drublic" is a masterpiece of NOFX brilliance, and "I Heard They Suck Live!" is a great foray into the world that is a NOFX live show.

"Tragic Kingdom" is, to me, over-rated. When it came out, the average review was C+, 5/10, etc... It's regarded as a "classic" in the sense that it sold 14 million copies worldwide. It's an OK album, but half of it is filler. It mainly rocketed to fame thanks to tracks like "Just a Girl". To me, the title track is the strongest on the album and I might do a cover of it soon...

8-Album Mind: Slit My Wrists and serve me some Pennyroyal Tea!

Pretty damn interesting mix today! And it's the last real mix one for a day or two. Today I got to listen to one of my favorite albums, test out one that I think should go, and actually wound up enjoying an album I never thought I would.






Today's playlist IN ORDER:

• Murderdolls - "Beyond the Valley of the Murderdolls" ♠♠♠♠♠
• Nailbomb - "Point Blank" ♠♠♠
• Nine Inch Nails - "Pretty Hate Machine" ♠♠♠
• Nirvana - "Bleach" ♠♠♠♠
• Nirvana - "With the Lights Out - Disc 1" ♠♠♠
• Nine Inch Nails - "The Downward Spiral" ♠♠♠♠
• Nirvana - "Nirvana" ♠♠♠

I LOVE the Murderdolls, one of my favorite groups! They were formed when Wednesday 13 hooked up with Joey Jordisan of Slipknot to basically re-write and re-record some of Wednesday 13's material with The Frankenstein Drag Queens of Planet 13. It is a great album and, to me, a realization of the greatness of the former band done by the later. This band is basically responsible for ever

Nailbomb is another side-project band I listened today, with members from Sepultura and Fear Factory, as well as a few others, basically kicking ass and taking names on a industrial-meets-thrash and punk disc. Heavy and thrashy, but not great. After that was Nine Inch Nails "Pretty Hate Machine." Personally, I think it's a little over-rated. It sounds like a mix of early Ministry and early KMFDM.

After that, knowing I had the entire Nirvana box set with me, I decided to split it up. I hated the box set when I first listened to the entire thing, so doing this allows me to judge it better. The disc is more solid then I remember, but still is plagued by filler, like the rest of the set.

NIN's "The Downward Spiral" was actually the surprise of the day. I've never been that into this album, nor Trent Reznor, but this album finally connected today. Not like the heaven's alligning, but I did really enjoy it this time. Nirvana's greatest hits disc, "Nirvana", was just OK. I skipped the "Nevermind" material since I'm listening to that stuff tomorrow, and the rest was good.

8-Album Mind: Where I Post the 10 Albums I Listend to Today

Basically, I'm ripping off a few blogs around Philly that do a feature called "10-Track Mind" where they list 10 local bands they like and the songs that make them happy. Instead, I'll post the albums I listened to in a day. Why? Because frankly, music in Philly sucks as it is, I don't need blogs dedicated to promoting some lame indie-rock band that sounds like every other single friggin indie rock band and telling me that they're "good".

So, here are the albums I heard today:

• Municipal Waste - "Hazardous Mutations" ♠♠♠
• Municipal Waste - "The Art of Partying" ♠♠♠
• Napalm Death - "Scum" ♠♠♠
• Napalm Death - "Enemy of the Music Business" ♠♠♠♠
• Napalm Death - "The Code Is Red... Long Live the Code" ♠♠♠♠
• Neurosis - "Times of Grace" ♠♠ SOLD
• Nevermore - "This Godless Endeavor" ♠♠♠♠
• Nile - "Legacy Of The Catacombs" ♠♠♠
• Nile - "Ithyphallic" ♠♠♠

As you can see, there are little symbols next to each album. Each ♠ means a star, so say an album has ♠♠♠♠. That means it's 4/5 Stars. I'll also have little notes to some albums as well. For example, one of the albums has the word SOLD next to it. Well, that means I didn't like it so much that I sold it. Some may have a little * next to it, so that means there's a review of it. I'll post a review next to it that will link to my "album of the day" blog.

You'll also notice that... well, I like to listen to my CD collection in alphabetical and chronological order. It's a good system since it offers a lot of variety most of the time and allows me to weed out albums I don't like as much and can sell for food money.

Intro's aside, let's get to it!

Municipal Waste's "Hazardous Mutations" was as good as when I first got it in 2005, while "The Art of Partying" was just "meh". I always thought it was an OK album, way too over-hyped in my opinion. Listening to those Napalm Death albums again was actually a thrill; couldn't believe how little I actually listen to these guys! I was a little excited about the Neurosis album since I hadn't heard it in so long.... don't get me wrong, it's a good album, but it just isn't for me. Too mellow for a guy like me.

On the flip side, Nevermore's "This Godless Endeavor" was just incredbile! Great progressive riffs and some of the greatest guitar playing I've heard since Devin Townsend! This album bleeds with a heavy Strapping Young Lad/Devin Townsend Influence, and tossing in the progressive tendencies of Queensryche. Meanwhile, Nile is just... Nile. Heavy as hell and incredibly brutal, but not much to write about.