CLEARING AUTUMN SKIES: Discography

I used to review CDs for hardcorewebsite.net from like 2001-2002. Possibly the only decent CDs I ever got were the Irate and Through The Discipline EPs and some random disc from a band called Clearing Autumn Skies. All I ever knew of the band were that they were from California and sounded like a west coast take on earlier Candiria material (minus the jazz). I haven't listened to this EP in a few years. I recently pulled it out and was equally blown away as the first time I heard it back in 2002.

This is the definition of a criminally underrated band. I have yet to meet a single person who was even remotely familiar with this group. They put out a follow-up full length and later turned into Apiary (minus the drummer) who did a full length for Iron Clad Records. (Apiary has since turned into the band Early Graves and has somehow lost every single original member in the process.) These are both solid releases, but neither of them have been able to match up to this EP for some reason. There's just something about the recording of the original EP that the follow-ups fail to re-create in my fucked up head. I'm sure its nothing more than a personal inclination towards the first thing I had heard from them, but who can really

The music flows back and forth between the dreary acoustic instrumentation that went hand-in-hand with their earlier metalcore counterparts and the off-time, down-tuned Meshuggah-esque chugging in which the metalcore bands of today are still trying to perfect. As previously stated the band constantly breaks into Candiria styled riffing and percussion work reminiscent of their Beyond Reasonable Doubt and Surrealistic Madness albums without lifting any of their actual material. The vocals remind me of something that I can't put my finger on. Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

I initially uploaded the Apiary full length while it was unknowingly still in press. If you've downloaded it, I'm sure you loved it and should now go HERE to purchase it from Iron Clad Recordings.

Drummer John Lazarus has been playing with Stomacher since the end of Clearing Autumn Skies. Guitarist Mike McClatchey has three projects under the monikers Balcony, Lament Cityscape and The Conceal (which is possibly the heaviest thing I've heard in years). All of these projects are putting out some of the more interesting music I've heard in recent memory all across the musical spectrum

DOWNLOAD THE DISCOGRAPHY

MARTYR AD: The Human Condition In Twelve Fractions

Through recent conversations with some younger kids, I've realized that a lot of people are only aware of Martyr AD's "On Earth As It Is In Hell" album. With the internet playing the role that it does these days, its weird to think that there are still albums out there that remain void of tenure on iPods amongst the hardcore world. It makes you remember how much ahead of the the time Victory Records was in comparison to the likes of Ferret and Trustkill at the time as far as promotion and distribution goes.

The Human Condition In Twelve Fractions was Martyr AD's first effort as a band. These ex-Disembodied members went straight for the throat with a debut full length release. Unlike most full lengths, this one both deserves and has a reason to exist. Martyr AD can not be summed up in four-to-six tracks. A full length offering was in call and these guys stepped up to the plate with this release.

The album starts off with quite possibly the only fitting intro to the album; Failed Polygraph Examination. Immediately breaking into possibly the most chaotic sounding riff of my at-the-time 16 year old life, Broken Mouth had me hooked from my first listen. I specifically remember thinking "this sounds like The Great Southern Trendkill".

Seventyfive-Twentyfive, the third track on the album, was responsible for making me a lot of friends in Erie, PA. The second or third show I attended up there was the Martyr AD/Throwdown tour in late 2001; at which I was knocked-the-fuck-out during the break in the aforementioned song. I was out cold for the remainder of the song, but stood up and proceeded to mosh for the rest of the set; because I'm hard. Hell, I even tried moshing for Throwdown after but the venue told me I had to "cool it". HxC.

Martyr AD was also responsible for being the band to initially introduce me to The Mr Roboto Project. Somewhere early in the year 2001 was when I first was introduced to The Mr Roboto Project when I went to see Martyr AD and Burnt By The Sun. The venue altered my reality of what going to a show could be (there's no bouncers!?!?! you didn't have to leave smelling like smoke!?!?!) but that is another story for another day I suppose. Point being, had Martyr AD not written such a superior mosh album for its time, I would've been delayed finding out about Roboto for god knows how long (it was rare for the mosh to be present at Roboto back then). I specifically remember wanting to mosh the entire set, yet being too nervous to until the Martyr AD vocalist ran up to the wall and did some sort of kick off of it as though he was on a skateboard; knocking into me and in turn starting the first karate mosh that Roboto had probably ever seen.

As I eluded to earlier, Martyr AD was essentially a continuation of Disembodied after their break-up in 1999. Featuring guitarist Joel (guitar), Tara (bass), and Justin (drums) of their former band, Martyr AD was a furthering of the progression heard on the final Disembodied album. Looking back, the "Heretic" album serves as a perfect precursor to what would eventually be heard from Martyr AD. Its like listening to a 33 RPM Disembodied record at 45 RPM, but with the vocals somehow getting lower and meaner.

As much as I love Disembodied and everything about the band, Martyr AD was definitely an "improvement" on what Disembodied was doing as far as musicianship goes. The drums really got taken up a notch as did the vocals. Don't get me wrong, the lyrics and vocals of Disembodied are perfect in my eyes, however, some of the vocal techniques used by Michael James Fisketti on The Human Condition were considerably groundbreaking; especially for its time. The main reason that their follow-up album on Victory Records couldn't hold up to their debut was the departure of the drummer and vocalist who appeared on said debut. The riffing available on the follow-up is more than satisfactory, however, the vocals and drumming could never keep up the way that they did on the debut (sorry Holding On guys).

Listen to this album the whole way through - DOWNLOAD

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POST UPDATE - Stuck In The Past has posted up the definitive collection of Martyr AD demo material. The post includes pre-production for the entire debut album, FOUR tracks from the session with Jared on drums, and five pre-production tracks for On Earth As It Is In Hell. You can download these all at Stuck In The Past.

DISSOLVE

Always being a fan of the unrecognized and under-appreciated, Dissolve is probably my favorite finding within the past few years. To be completely honest, I always kinda heard the name floating around but chose to delay checking the band out for absolutely no reason at all. It wasn't until I heard as many people who's musical taste I respect getting as excited as they did over the band's reunion shows in 2008 that I chose to pay attention. I found their self-titled 7" on Endless Fight Records and it was decided before side A was even done that I was fully obsessed with this band.

To sum up this band, I chose to quote the "bio" found on their MySpace page as it is stated more precisely than I am sure I could word.

"Now into their second decade, Dissolve has shown an undeniable persistence in the underground music scene through never straying from the overwhelming call to creativity felt by its members. Dissolve's approach to making music draws upon their diverse musical talents and interests, mixing in the eclectic backgrounds of each member. This independence has resulted in a sound that is unique to the metal and hardcore scene. Heavy, unexpected, and hard to imitate. Put plainly, one is hard-pressed to pigeon-hole their style of music into a particular category. Honestly, the only "label" that would truly apply to Dissolve is heavy."

Rewinding a bit to the band's beginning, they started with the release of a cassette demo entitled Rebirth Of Thought in 1992 which I unfortunately do not have. This was followed up by a 7 track demo in 1993 which I am fortunate enough to have a copy of. In fact, I actually have two different rips of it that I included in the download link for the diehards.

I'm not sure which came out first, but in 1994 the band released their debut 7" on Endless Fight Records while, almost simultaneously, contributing two tracks to the original Over The Edge compilation put out by the same label. Both songs would later be re-recorded for their Dismantle CD which is surprisingly still available through Interpunk for $8.25; a very random find.

After the release of the Dismantle EP, the band's final two recording sessions would the Graverobber EP and a very rare two-song demo from 1998. They continued on with their tradition of playing "sludgy metal crunch, yet with a mix of psychedelic paranoia, and a Voivod-ish slant on bizarre out-of-this-world angular riffs... except slower". Thank you, Ryan Hex, for the perfect description of Dissolve.

For the better part of 10 years they gave it their all to make it in music, resulting finally in a well-deserved contract with MIA records back in 2000, putting them on a label in which also housed noteworthy bands such as Candiria and Darkest Hour. A greatly anticipated album was recorded, mixed and mastered; even having artwork created. The actual release of the album was the only aspect which would not see the light of day. The owner of the label decided to fold the operation just as Dissolve's album was about to be released. Undaunted by this setback the band trudged on for a year and a half in support of their never-released album, entitled Caveman of the Future, hoping that someone would pick them up and put out the album. As fate would have it, this never happened. Day jobs, distance, and side projects began to take precedence resulting in a hiatus from touring for Dissolve.


While the band never officially broke up, performing stopped and the band went into a kind of hibernation. Incredibly, in defiance of the implications of the hiatus they took, a death knell for most other bands, Dissolve sustained. Due in part to the reformation of both Overcast and Trip Machine Laboratories, 2008 finally saw the release of their Caveman Of The Future album, as well as some live performances from the band in support of their "new" record. I'm not going to post the Mp3s to the new album as you can easily order it for $6 from Trip Machine Laboratories. If you're not sold yet from the Mp3s that I've posted, then you can also preview a few of the tracks on their MySpace page.

Here's to hoping the band decides to continue playing. According to a MySpace message they sent me, they plan on doing so. I'll be there, man.

By the way, vocal delivery ... holy shit.

DOWNLOAD: Dissolve - Demo 1993
DOWNLOAD: Dissolve - Dismantle (1995)
DOWNLOAD: Dissolve - Graverobber (1998)



BUY - CAVEMAN OF THE FUTURE from Trip Machine Laboratories

ED GEIN: Demo

I finally tracked down master copies of the re-released Ed Gein demo. To re-iterate, the band initially put out the first three tracks as their 2002 demo, later adding on another three tracks that were recorded not long after, yet before their first full length. Two of the additional tracks appeared on the Mutation compilation put out by Robotic Empire (which also featured some unreleased Minor Times songs). I'm not sure if Pee Wee Herman/Paul Reubens was ever released officially, but I still had the Mp3 from when they posted it on their website in 2002. You know, back when you had to pay for bandwidth. Good times.

Anyhow, here is the full demo (all 6 songs) ripped in 320 ... apparently the only place on the internet where you're going to find this.

The break at the end of Bathed In Orange is still the bat-craziest-shit ever.

DOWNLOAD

TERRA FIRMA: Silence Cries

I'm actually fairly unfamiliar with this band. All I know is that the album is perfect. If I had to sum it up in a comparison ... I would say Strongarm (who goes without mention) meets In Loving Memory (who I did a write-up on HERE). The chant at the beginning of Shatter The Silence ... holy shit (the good kind).

These guys were from Butler, PA and formed from ex-members of Blindside (also from Butler ... not Sweden). As we all know, I have a slight preference towards bands who I feel are legitimately down with JC. I know that the whole christian thing to do is to not judge or persecute or whatever else you want to label it, but that's the best part of being an agnostic who is infatuated with christian hardcore ... I have no problem with sniffing out the bands who are using the label as a means to make a quick buck and calling them on it. I'm down to cast them out of the temple and throw their chickens on the ground, you know? The point is ... Terra Firma (and every other christian band I've met from Butler) have always struck me as intensely passionate about their music and the reason they are creating it. Terra Firma succeeds where most christian bands of today fail in making me want to go up front for an altar call due to the sincerity behind their music and lyrics. Their passion shines through even in the recording of this album..

There's no reason this band shouldn't have been the biggest deal in christian hardcore in their time. As with most western PA bands from their era, they would have shredded the hell (literally and figuratively) out of their contemporaries had they ever been given the label opportunity in which they quite obviously deserved. Its a shame the internet didn't really exist back then to the extent that it does now so that bands like this would have had an even shot at being heard over most of the garbage Tooth & Nail was putting out at the time.

"Every tear he shed, every drop he bled ... it was for you"

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MoshSpot

People say I'm too serious. I have a blog about moshing. Feel free to contribute.

MoshSpot.blogspot.com

LIVING SACRIFICE: Discography

Living Sacrifice started off in1989 in Little Rock, Arkansas. I'm sure that the concept of christian death metal would have failed in most other parts of the world at the time. Despite existing amongst the southern bible belt, I'm sure the band had to deal with more than their fair share of mindless "satanic" metal fans. The fact that Living Sacrifice was doing what they were doing at the time they were doing so is truly a testament to the band's sincerity.

To be completely honest, I am not too familiar with the early stages of the band's career. They recorded a demo 1989 entitled Not Yielding To Ungodly which got them signed to REX Music (the label ran by one of the only other christian metal bands, Believer). I know that their debut, self-titled release gives anything that Slayer has ever released a run for its money. I'm not joking. The fact that older Living Sacrifice material is not spoken of in the same regard as their "legendary" thrash counterparts really makes a statement as to how overlooked the band probably was due to their christian beliefs.

With their sophomore release, Nonexistent, the band went with a more death metal approach. A much darker sound is found on this album. Judging from reading several old interviews, the band didn't seem happy with the outcome of this album. This doesn't serve as a surprise considering the obvious return to the "original" sound with their third full length, Inhabit. While the vocals remained a bit lower and "death metal", the neck-breaking thrash beats were back in full effect. The band even began to show the development of what was to result from their entire reformation, which would come after the release of Inhabit in 1994.

After roughly a year of touring in support of Inhabit, lead vocalist and bassist Darren Johnson stepped down; leaving rhythm guitarist Bruce Fitzhugh to take over on lead vocal duties. Along with this line-up change came an entirely different approach to the band's musical direction. Along with the dissolution of the REX Music label who had released their first three albums, the band shed much of their thrash and death metal influences in favor of a slower, more "hardcore" sound which they have since become synonymous with.

Somewhere in this time frame, Sepultura also phased their way out of the thrash and death metal scenes in favor of a slower, down-tuned sound; essentially forging an entirely new sound within heavy music in the process. It seems as though everyone, since the release of Roots, who has incorporated any sort of auxillary percussion has been immediately labeled as a Sepultura knock-off. I always felt as though Living Sacrifice did a very similar style in a drastically different manner. Incorporating much more off-time parts similar to Meshuggah, I'm doubting Max Cavalera would even be able to play anything off of Living Sacrifice's "Reborn" album.


While the band's new found uniqueness and creativity are primarily responsible in my eyes for the sudden popularization of the band, it would be laughable to deny the impact that signing to the newly forged Solid State Records had for the band. Serving as Tooth & Nail Records' metal sub-label, Solid State in 1997 was the place to be. The label served as home to so many legendary releases from this era that I can't even begin to get started on the subject. The only reason I bring this up is because I feel as though Reborn by Living Sacrifice was, alongside several others, largely responsible for the initial success of the label.

Several years passed before Living Sacrifice released another album. The wait did not disappoint in the slightest. As with every album, The Hammering Process was a huge step in the growth of the band. It was with this album that Living Sacrifice cemented themselves as a true force to be reckoned with. Incorporating a full-time auxiliary percussionist into the fold alongside new guitarist Rocky Gray took Living Sacrifice to a whole new level of creativity. Looking back, it was this step in the band's career that stood out to me as a prime example as to how it could be possible to entirely expand one's musical horizons. The addition of non-conventional instrumentation can only serve as a means to foster growth. How the fuck could anyone have written tracks as intense as Bloodwork or Hand Of The Dead without the addition of an auxiliary percussionist? Not happening.

Conceived In Fire was released in 2002. For some reason or another, a lot of people wrote this album off as being inconsistent with the perfection of their previous efforts. I'm going to assume that any and all criticism was based off of the release of the album's "single", Symbiotic, which featured a repeating verse/chorus structure. The intensity of that song, specifically, makes any and all calls of "selling out" a complete joke in the eyes of anyone who truly understands legitimately heavy music. Ironically, it was on this album, released in 2002, that the band came closest to a Sepultura-esque sound in my opinion. Once again utilizing the percussion work of Matt Putnam, Conceived In Fire ranks in as possibly my favorite of all Living Sacrifice albums.

The band dissolved not long after the release of this album. They managed to record a 3 song demo before doing so, however. It was paired up alongside a "best of" collection entitled In Memoriam in conjunction with their final tour. These supposed final three songs from the project showed that the band had not lost a single step throughout their career. Encompassing all aspects of the band's progression throughout the years, "In Christ", "Power Of God", and "Killers" were an impressive summation of what the band was capable. As representative as I felt the songs were, the band's musical arsenal proved to be far too versatile to be left as is and the band announced their reformation in early 2008.

Needless to say, I was more than enthusiastic at the announcement of this reunion. It was somewhere around 2005 that I started hating myself for skipping out on the one and only chance I had to see this powerhouse. The band preceded their tour with Demon Hunter in the summer of 2008 with the release of an online-only release of 2 newly recorded songs. As with the small, three-song dose of the band's capability released in 2003, Living Sacrifice did not disappoint with Death Machine and The Battle.

Sadly, this time around the band was not accompanied by their former percussionist ... or any percussionist at all for that matter. When I saw the band set up on stage without any form of auxillary percussion, I was assuming that certain songs would have to be cut from the set. Further proving their superiority in musicianship, however, I was proven wrong as the band delivered Bloodwork, Hand Of The Dead, and Send Your Regrets amongst many others with the same amount of intensity as they once encompassed with the tribal drumming patterns within the songs. Simply put, Lance Garvin is one of the most insane drummers within heavy music


One of the main reasons I've always been drawn to Living Sacrifice has been the sincerity and legitimacy they have shown to their faith in christ. I know it probably makes no sense, but a large portion of my favorite bands have always been "christian". Sometimes because I think its funny or cute, but in cases such as Living Sacrifice (or original Zao line-up, for example), the sincerity that radiates from their live shows, lyrics, and/or interviews is undeniable despite my obvious lack of similar beliefs. Point being ... these 90s christian metalcore bands have a higher legitimacy rating than any of the vegan SxE gatherings of the same era.

Its safe to say I'm quite excited for this new material in which the band is scheduled to record by the end of the year. I'm anxiously awaiting to hear the one thrash song that the band throws on towards the end of every album just to prove that they can still thrash 20 years after the initial start of the band. More than I can say for most bands who used to bring it.

DOWNLOAD - self-titled
DOWNLOAD - Nonexistent
DOWNLOAD - Inhabit
DOWNLOAD - Reborn
DOWNLOAD - The Hammering Process
DOWNLOAD - Conceived In Fire
DOWNLOAD - Living Sacrifice Demos (2003 & 2008)