HIGH BIAS -- High Bias Aural Fixations

High Bias aural fixations cont.

NAPALM DEATH
Order of the Leech
(Spitfire)
Over the course of a dozen albums, Napalm Death has helped define extreme metal. From the bomb-burst ejaculations of grindcore (the little-heard but highly influential strain of metal that gave rise to a whole host of British metalheads) to the politically-charged death metal in which it trucks today, the British/American quintet has steadfastly pursued its mission of making livid hatred and inchoate rage into musical expression. Order of the Leech faithfully stays the course, with old-school thrash and monster truck-heavy death providing a backdrop for anti-establishment rants fairly bleeding negative feeling. Guitarists Mitch Harris and Jesse Pintado riff furiously over drummer Danny Herrara's high-speed blast beats, while frontman Barney Greenway tears his way through the diatribes like a werewolf turned Baptist preacher. (Bassist Shane Embury is barely present sonically, but as the main songwriter/de facto bandleader, he doesn't to have to speak loudly to wield a big stick.) American globalism is a favorite target of the band on this record; "Blows to the Body," "Per Capita" and "Forewarned is Disarmed?" all directly reference current U.S. policies, and "Out of Sight Out of Mind" is the Sept. 11 anthem all rockers are driven to attempt these days. Not that Bush's America is Napalm Death's only concern. "Kings and queens/Order of the leech/Majesty? Don't patronize me," he growls in "To Lower Yourself (Blind Servitude)," giving the royals what-for. The band also takes aim at complacency in general with "Continuing War on Stupidity" and "Lowest Common Denominator." "I'd rather die doubting something/Than be consigned to anonymity," Greenway roars on "The Great Capitulator," and the rest of the record is a testament to that sentiment. Of course, one's appreciation for the band's rabble-rousing sentiments is wholly dependent on one's tolerance for music this violent and ugly, though the musicians would no doubt argue that the melodies merely match the fury behind the lyrics. That fury can be exhausting over the course of a full album if you're not used to such things, however. Napalm Death's version of fighting the power may not court wide appeal, but the band will never be accused of dishonesty. If authenticity is enough, join the Order of the Leech. Michael Toland [buy it]

For fans of: Brutal Truth, Slayer, the Entombed

SCENIC
The Acid Gospel Experience
(Hidden Agenda)
It's been seven years since Southwestern instrumental ensemble Scenic released a record—seven long years. But, finally, the Sedona quintet has broken its silence with the beauteous The Acid Gospel Experience. The band hasn't changed much in the years since its acclaimed Acquatica album, but after such a long absence that's a good thing. Bassist James Brenner and drummer Brock Wirtz set up a dreamy but insistent rhythm pulse, guitarists Bruce Licher and Mark Mastopietro provide layer after layer of swells, slides, shimmers and sprinklings atop it and keyboardist Robert Loveless fills in the blanks. It sounds like a simple formula, but it's extremely difficult to pull off without falling into a warm bath of atmosphere that's sure to put listeners into a dreamscape coma. (Unless that's your aim, in which case your name better be Brian Eno.) But Scenic has the amazing ability to mesmerize rather than enervate, as tunes like the gorgeous "Lightspeed," "Under a Wing" (with guest piano from Harold Budd) and "The Spheres" make clear. The record's centerpiece is "A Journey Through the Outer Reaches of Inner Space," a nearly 20-minute excursion into ambient melodic psychedelia that's like a symphonic suite of cosmic introspection. The Acid Gospel Experience is another brilliant record from a far too little-known band. Michael Toland [buy it]

For fans of: Lanterna, Michael Brook, 7% Solution

VARIOUS ARTISTS
Sucking the 70's
(Small Stone)
As anybody with an ear towards underground metal and stoner rock can tell you, those genres draw very heavily from the arena rock of the 1970s. So it's only logical that one of the labels dedicated to the current surge of nuevo hard rock (Small Stone) would compile a tribute record to that oft-maligned decade, as contemporary rockers take on cuts both classic and obscure from artists known as much for how many lighters have been waved in front of them as for their music. Vis a vis Sucking the 70's. Some of the choices are blindingly obvious, like Jersey neo-southern rock trio Halfway to Gone doing the Marshall Tucker Band's "Can't You See" or classic rock revisionist quartet Raging Slab taking on Grand Funk Railroad's "We're An American Band." Some cuts exploit the "I can't believe this band is doing that song" dichotomy, a la Clutch and Alabama Thunderpussy pounding the crap out of Jethro Tull's "Cross-eyed Mary" and "Hymn 43," respectively, or Roadsaw pumping the testosterone up in "Vehicle," by Blood, Sweat & Tears soundalike the Ides of March. Many of the bands choose unfamiliar songs by familiar bands, such as Dixie Witch ramming through Lynyrd Skynyrd's "On the Hunt," Five Horse Johnson wrestling with Mountain's "Never in My Life" or Hangnail taking on Led Zeppelin's "Bron-Yr-Stomp." Finally, a few of the bands go for the overtly obscure, like the Heads doing "For Madmen Only," by largely unknown early 70s band May Blitz, Los Natas taking on Hawkwind's "Brainstorm," the Fireball Ministry hitting up "Doctor Doctor" by UFO (which isn't obscure in Europe, but it's unlikely most of this record's audience has heard it) or Kyuss disciple Lowrider covering "Freelance Fiend" by footnote-to-a-footnote Leafhound. Lord Sterling's version of the MC5's "Black to Comm" is a bit of an anomaly, since the song originated in the 60s and was never recorded on any of their official albums, though it's welcome, nonetheless.

Like all tribute albums, this one begs the question: is this really necessary, especially with 35 songs spread over two disks? Not that any of the cuts here are bad; to a track, the bands turn in performances that are at least solid, and occasionally inspired. The problem is that virtually none of them take chances with the material. Too many of the tunes sound like the original versions with (vaguely) different vocals, a different guitar solo and more muscular distortion on the riffs. For some tracks that's enough; Novadriver gives T.Rex's "20th Century Boy" a kick in the pants, Black Nasa gives Bachman-Turner Overdrive's "I Don't Have to Hide" more energy than the original band ever possessed and the combination of Black Sabbath's "Wicked World" with Spirit Caravan (whose leader Wino is perhaps the only metal musician working who has truly evolved the classic Sabbath sound) is too perfect to find fault with. A few of the acts do take some chances. Suplecs transforms Rush's "Working Man" into a showcase for its space rock, speed metal and Southern rock tendencies, while Puny Human interpolates the Ramones' "Suzy is a Headbanger" into its cover of Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Travellin' Band." But the sludge-drenched version of "Out On the Weekend" by Porn (The Men of) and Milligram's punishing take on Cactus' "Rumblin' Man" as tortured noise rock are really the only radical reworkings in evidence. So many of these songs are merely faithful renditions, loaded with love and respect but not much in the way of interesting innovations. That's not so much a problem with the obscurities, as it's unlikely the audience for which this record was made has had much contact with Leafhound, Sir Lord Baltimore or even Hawkwind, but it makes you wonder why some of these folks expended the energy on the well-known songs. It's too bad; Sucking the 70's was a golden opportunity to beat some new tricks into some very old dogs. Michael Toland [buy it]

For fans of: classic rock radio, CMC Records, Freedom Rock