Deathspell Omega, "Sola Fide I"
EDITOR'S NOTE: Deathspell Omega turn out to be Nazi shitheads, and you should not in any way patronize them. I'm leaving the original text here, but fuck these guys.
One of the attractions of extreme metal is the virtuosity that bands can display. A talented band like Deathspell Omega can really make you wonder exactly how they can manage to create that kind of racket. But it's not just the spectacle with this band. Deathspell Omega is incredibly adept at evoking a mood, and they create songs that go to very interesting places. This track, from Si Monumentum Requiris, Circumspice ("if you seek his monument, look around", from an inscription on the grave of Sir Christopher Wren inside St. Paul's Cathedral), is a good example of the drama that they can create within a song.
Metallica, "No Remorse"
Until Kirk Hammett's flaming guitar solo kicks in, this could have easily been mistaken for a hardcore punk track, and really shows how Metallica fused the worlds of metal and punk to create thrash.
They Might Be Giants, "Stone Cold Coup d'État"
When I recently got around to listing my favorite They Might Be Giants songs, I was surprised at how many of them were John Linnell songs. I always knew I preferred his stuff, but I was still a little surprised at the extent of that preference when I listed it all out.
Foetus, "Concrete"
Strange little atmospheric piece from the most recent (2010) Foetus album I have, Hide. I don't actually know if Thirlwell has retired the band name or what, I should probably look that up.
(looks it up)
There's an album I'm missing that's also not in Allmusic, apparently! Neat, I'm going to buy that!
(looks it up)
Apparently I already own it. I can't decide if I'm getting dumber, or a LOT dumber. Join us next time for Josh Forgets Stuff!
Botanist, "Dianthus"
Via the great experimental music label The Flenser comes Botanist, a black metal-like project out of San Francisco. Notable for using hammered dulcimer in lieu of guitars, you get a much different feel to things. The lyrics are also apparently mostly about the natural world, although as usual, I have no idea what the lyrics actually are. I only have this one album, VI: Flora, but it's really good, and I'm going to buy another one. ASSUMING I DON'T ALREADY HAVE IT.