MILOPKL
02/05/2018 - THE FACEBOOK "10 ALBUMS THAT INFLUENCED YOU" LIST
WHITE ZOMBIE - LA SEXORCISTO DEVIL MUSIC VOL. 1
Desert rock meets stoner groove in this post-thrash, psychedelic rocking masterpiece. Half party metal, half soundtrack to a bad trip. This album is widely mistaken as the first White Zombie album, however it is actually their debut MAJOR LABEL release. They had many albums before this and they are sick as hell, even more psychedelic, noisy and indulgent. This album is loaded with samples from radio to horror soundtracks, the production is dynamic and flawless, the performances are energetic and bouncing. One part bouncing, one part headbanging, this album is a trip and lives in the shadow of the commercially successful 'Astro Creep 2000' which was a much simpler, more industrial album.
SADISTIK EXEKUTION - KAOS
Extreme old school metal which exists at the T section where thrash, death and black metal meet. Sadistik Exekution are a band noted for the charisma and personality of their performance, as well as the speed and no-bullshit approach which was never captured better than on KAOS. Sonically, the album is harsh and thick, there is an emphasis on a muddy mid-low range, the guitar tone is painful with a thick, scooped yet fizzy sound. Sadistik Exekution have a hypnotic songwriting style which spans most of their discography but is heavily featured on every song here. Between the barking vocals, mental bass shredding and blast drumming, and the evil squeals of the guitar, this album is a cacophonous mess from beginning to end.
BAD BRAINS - SELF TITLED
If you asked me, this is the greatest punk album of all time. For the time, the musicianship was very technical - particularly for a very early hardcore punk album - blending aggressive, lofi punk with reggae and dub. Lots of fast d-beat and plenty of fun riffs and solos, this is another album where the character of the performances shines through. One thing that set Bad Brains apart from other punk bands was their sense of catchy, infectious melody mixed with the initiative to stray from typical punk songwriting structures. The performances on this album are totally raw and off the wall.
DECEMBER WOLVES - BLASTERPIECE THEATRE
December Wolves are a band that seemed to have mostly flown under the radar of major and underground audiences alike. I can't say exactly why, this album was released with an Earache Records logo on the back but I don't remember seeing it in magazines of the early 00's. Another psychedelic, sample laden, soundtrack of an album with a very alien and futuristic sound. The guitars are very bright and have a strange sarcastic tone, bass is super crunchy and the programmed drums sound fucking awesome - a RARE accomplishment in metal and this is probably the only album with fake drums I've ever cared for. The band write a futuristic, almost industrial style of black metal which is on the slightly technical side.
ANAL CUNT - EVERYONE SHOULD BE KILLED
When I first came across Anal Cunt, it opened my ears to the existence of noise music. Actually, like most people I started out with their catchier, more comedic mid career output with the famous song titles and ridiculous hooks. But as I got further into Anal Cunt, it would not be long until I discovered the true form of the band in the form of their earlier noisecore releases like Everyone Should Be Killed. Anal Cunt play a totally spastic form of grinding noise, with a strange stop-start style that almost borders on the fringes of improvized jazz. I have a soft spot for jam bands and the live performance captured on the 58 tracks of this album are fantastic fun from beginning to end.
DEMOLITION HAMMER - EPIDEMIC OF VIOLENCE
This album is a complete thrash-metal master class from beginning to end. Technical, crushingly brutal, fast and mechanical perfomances across the board. There are just too many classic riffs on Epidemic of Violence, every song is laden with lead guitars, pummeling and steady drumming, and plenty of syncopated, palm muted, galloping thrash riffs to keep you headbanging. Necrology, the bands first EP, is also a sick release and is full of totally classic Demolition Hammer tracks that would become the staple of their live performances. But the production and presentation of Epidemic of Violence is a great place to start with the band and a perfect launchpad for those unfamiliar with thrash metal as a genre.
THE STROKES - FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF EARTH
The third album from The Strokes did a lot to push their decidedly simple sound into experimental new directions, especially in the realms or production and recording. The performances are much more technical and thought-out when compared to previous albums. I understand the album had a luke-warm reception upon release but I can't really begin to understand why. It has a long run time, but features many varied compositions in terms of harmony and structure, great lyrics with a strange sense of story telling, lively performances from the whole band and very interesting and clean production on top of all that. FIOE is both thought provoking and introspective, while remaining upbeat and dynamic.
CAPSULE - FRUITS CLIPPER
Yasutaka Nakata is the brain behind not just Capsule, but many Japanese pop idols and groups. A super producer and songwriter, he focuses mainly on a futuristic, spacey and electronic house music with a range of themes that deal with every day, slice of life phenomena through a futuristic, techno-centric lens. Fruits Clipper is a super upbeat, happy and sentimental album full to the brim with sparkling, shiny house beats and a great sense of melody and harmony. The production also tends to be very intricate and busy, with many layers and instruments glistening and shimmering through the mix.
LIL B - 6 KISS
I heard Lil B singles on Youtube before I decided to check out his full projects. I wanted to start near the beginning, and while this was not the earliest Lil B music going around, it was definitely a widely recognised and respected early project from the rapper known as 'The Basedgod'. This album is packed with strange flows and atmosphere, indeed Lil B would in part help to popularise many aspects of the 'cloud rap' aesthetic. It's hard to explain why I chose this album, all I know is that I am compelled to include a Lil B project in my list out of necessity, and while this may not be my personal favorite, I do believe it is an awesome starting point for the Basedgod and shows a balance of his sincere and playful sides.
BRUJERIA - MATANDO GUEROS
I love grindcore. There is something about the sense of rhythm on this album that is totally catchy and groovy, while still super aggressive and filled with blasting. I love the vocals which appear in the form of arhythmic, disgruntled yelling throughout most of the album. Something about Matando Gueros always gave me the impression of it being recorded inside of a sewer pipe, and it's something to do with the production. The album is very dank, washed in reverb which creates a sense of atmosphere. Aggressive and funny, confronting and catchy, Brujeria would not manage to maintain this standard of quality on later releases, but their earlier demos are super sick as well, with some of those songs appearing on the tail end of Matando Gueros.