Type O Negative, October Rust

Type O Negative, October Rust (Roadrunner-1996)

I really think this band are so overlooked. I know so as I did the same. I did buy this in the late 90s but never really liked it as much as I do now. Could be my age but I don't know why it took so long to love this band so much.

The album before was a big hit going platinum in America and cementing the band into the gothic style. But they really are just a rock band. As always all music has to be put into a sub genre. Call it metal if you like but it is still just rock n roll.

The dry humor here is what I love starting with a joke track then onto the music. "Love You to Death" is such a catchy song, nice keyboards and sample added with Peter Steele's utterly unique voice opens the album up well. Same goes for his bass playing and "Be My Druidess" shows how to make a sound with a bass guitar in a way that you have to have a go. The down tuned style is at times so un inspiring for many people but there are so many positives here as the songs are very catchy, you will be sing along at times and again it is listed in the metal section.

The big song "My Girlfriend's Girlfriend" will guarantee smiles and it is such a great song, it should have been number one, could have been in the 80s but would they take it a seriously back then? The album is so well made that I was shocked to read that all drums were programed and you really can barley notice. I think they have made such a nice little sound unique to themselves you really do not notice much of the technical side of the music.

This album was not received as well as the other albums they done and a reason was for it being more ballad like music. But it is done so well and with such a great song writer in Steele they even cover a Neil Young song (Cinnamon Girl) and do it so well in there own style of music. It may seem to be a serious album and it is as the album deals with loneliness and death but the humor is so important here as it is so hard to write funny music. Here we have a funny, serious, heavy metal pop album. Has anyone ever done that ever since?

The album is easily available but the box set is great value as all the other albums are really good.

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Nevermore, This Godless Endeavor

Nevermore, This Godless Endeavor (Century Media-2005)

Looking over past albums I have chosen you can see I like heavy metal. But much of the metal world to most people can sound and also, be quite boring. If you can't get into say Slayer and Metallica you may think you don't like that style of music. It may sound to old for you as they have been about for years. Or you just want a more modern sound, something big where you can hear the hard work in the music...

Why not give it one more go. Nevermore are an American band who have been about from the mid 90s. They have done some great albums but this is a real stand out album. Not so much as a good set of tunes but good everything. Production, sound, engineering, musicianship and of course some great riffs. The band have always done a kind of old school thrash sound that has modernized with the black metal sound.

Best way to get an idea is to listen and first track "Born" is all you have to listen to for an idea on the sound here. At times metal does sound better when underproduction helps to give that raw edge. But this band seem to be on another planet here and every single thing that they play you can hear as crystal clear as possible.

DRUMS! man I wish I could hit one drum that sounded as good as this album. Pure utter gold, amazing playing from Van Williams, you think he is just hitting everything all the time but as the album progresses "My Acid Words" shows this man knows exactly what he is doing. Slowing down and barley playing to the music and evolving the album sound from one genre to another in a few drum fills. Amazing.

"Sentient 6" is the first time this album take a ballad feel and even then it is done so well, some nice keyboards and the normal slow timing to make the song feel more emotional but the riffs are here don't worry.

And in the middle a nice instrumental "The Holocaust Of Thought" it is more of a solo lasting 90 seconds, bit odd but if there was no track list you really would not have noticed. Again this album feels so right and it all fits well. "Sell My Heart For Stones" returns to the piano and acoustic sound of before but with some real emotional lyrics. The harmonies help build up what the song is about.

The band up to this point had quite a few albums out and I think they may have got an idea it was the time to make it bigger and "The Psalm Of Lydia" shows just what they can do. Dissecting the song there are 1000 ideas here. You need to listen so close and thankfully the next track is more like a classic metal song, solos and great mountains of noise.

Last track "This Godless Endeavour" titles the album and I see why. Again including many fantastic acoustic passages and that great voice. The bass and drums work so well here and at the start supply a great riff between them. The song is a little like a reprise of the whole album, brave thing to do as I have heard this done many times before and it never really works. But it does here. It could also be a teaser for the next album.

The band and the producer Andy Sneap could not have done anything else to make this better, no tweaks to any dial could have made a single riff or snare drum sound any better. All the planets were in alignment for this one. The press did not miss this one as well, I did see 10/10 in one and all were full of praise. Tours supporting the big bands must have been on the cards.

But the band had some back luck, illness in the band made the tours impossible. No record company can promote a band who can't tour. As they want to build up to the next album. So this album fell under the radar in a way. Well not now, give it a go. This album is my tester album to any new electrical equipment I get. Richer Sounds should give this away with all new amplifiers.

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Neurosis, A Sun That Never Sets

Neurosis, A Sun That Never Sets (2001-Relapse Records)

So you think this is a metal album right? Well ok it could be to most people but it really is not metal. This band really started as a punk band. Over time the albums came out and the style changed. That is what a band should do so now album number seven is here.

The start of this album can be considered quite mellow or slow. But the contents are far from that, very well thought out and also constructed with amazing direction to consider pace and dynamics.

Big shout out to Steve Von Till on the vocals here. Amazing work and on track two "The Tide" he shows how it can be done. Nice slow speaking parts but with his voice showing the story. Acoustic guitars and violin build this into a stunning wall of noise. it is so easy to get lost in the first few tracks and even consider this album to being linked to heavy metal. You really do not notice the guitars here like on a typical metal outfit. That is why the album is chosen to be here. The textures and guitar sound are less than riffs but more harmonics. Amazing stuff, I don't know if it is just trained ears that hear this but it is a real treat to my ear drums.

At the time of the albums release the band were on a high commercially with the previous albums Through Silver and Blood and Times of Grace gaining positive reviews across the music industry and opening the band up to so many other fans (like me). So the next album could be expected to be the same but not so and this reviewer can still remember the day he got this on CD. One of those rare album where you go right back in for a listen. When on the bus I was not bothered about the congestion when I had this in the cd player. "From the Hill" has all the contents of the more noisy dynamics from the first track but slowed down. Nothing is rushed here and it again shows how good the band are at feeling what they want to do.

The title track helps give some melodic feel into the longest track here "Falling Unknown" reminds me of very early Cheap Trick mixed with an evil Thin Lizzy helping King Crimson tune up. A kind of rock start to the song thunders into more sound scape that build and build up. You never really care if it gets to the top and could be considered a little to long, but a band in this good shape has to be recorded.

The album has been listed in a folk metal category for the elements it contains. Very unusual to have violins and viola on a metal album but this really does help this album out in making it bigger. Also this was the first album the band made that had clean vocals, with the vocals rarely moving from the slow spoken style.

From this album on the Sludge metal seem to evolve into a very large part of metal music. Neurosis may not have ever wanted to be on MTV but some bands after them were very much helped by the contents of this album. This shows you do not need to sell out by becoming more pop or more radio friendly. Why not use popular art instead.

A Sun That Never Sets is available easily via Neurot Recordings

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