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Since this is my last week at IO (though some of my writing, including the rest of the Metallica series, will post after I leave), I thought I’d revisit some highlights of the first two years, ‘06-’08. The site was on Blogger then, and hardly anyone read it. It was technically never a Blogspot, since I used the domain name invisibleoranges.com since day one. But in spirit, it sure was. Ah, Minima Black theme. You and I had some good times.
It’s a trip seeing how my tastes have evolved. When I started IO, I was evidently into lo-fi black metal, post-metal, grindcore, and metallic hardcore, none of which interest me much now. My tastes stemmed partly from location. I was living in Berlin, DE, and since I got no promos then, I sourced CDs one at a time. I’d request them from bands on MySpace, or I’d buy them in stores. German record stores were much different from American ones (lots of heavy metal, lots of techno), so I got all sorts of stuff I wouldn’t have gotten in the States, such as used obscure thrash CDs.
I lived near a record store called Core Tex, which had some metal, but mostly specialized in hardcore punk. One time I went in, heard something awesome playing, asked what it was, and bought it on the spot. It was Provide & Conquer by Lahar. Now, hardly anyone remembers Provide & Conquer or Lahar. Lahar was a Seattle hardcore band on a now-defunct Philly label called Spook City. Metal-archives.com, which has strict genre police, has a listing for Lahar, which shows how metallic they were: very. A good number of hardcore bands then basically played thrash, just with hardcore-style vocals, and Lahar was one.
Provide & Conquer isn’t one for the ages, but it still rages six years after its release. I like the seat-of-the-pants quality that the slight underproduction provides; most stuff like this now sounds overly perfect. I bet these guys listened to a lot of Bonded by Blood and Pleasure to Kill. They put out one album and are now history. I wrote about them almost four years ago, and I’m writing about them now. If I remember your music after four years, that says something.
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Blogspot Days Revisited remembers highlights from Invisible Oranges’ first two years.
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HEAR PROVIDE & CONQUER
“Children of War”
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“Heartbreak Press”
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BUY PROVIDE & CONQUER
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Last week, wtf? Time goes so quickly!
What the f*ck were you doing in Germany?
that, and dont leave (IO).
So cool to hear you used to live by CORE TEX!! I lived in Berlin a couple days back in may at a hostel and ended up buying Napalm Death and Deafheaven. And a Discharge album for a friend!!
Obscure thrash CD’s, did you ever get to listen to Protector’s Urm the Mad?
Criminally underrated German thrash…
I hope you bring back that article about B-52’s Rock Lobster.
I miss those blogspot days.
blasts from the past!
One question I’ve been meaning to ask, will you still be keeping active on your Facebook page or is that ending as well?
Yeah I’d love to see you still be active on FB Cosmo. A little bit goes a long way.
The new staff will run IO’s Facebook page, but I’ll retain my own profile. You can add me at:
http://www.facebook.com/cosmol1
However, after I leave the site, I am getting the hell out of the Internet for a while!
Thanks, request sent.
I can’t help think of Sam Neill’s line in Event Horizon, “You can’t leave. She won’t let you.” regarding your internet departure. The internet is a place almost as evil.
Day 0 is near, but we all know our friend Cosmo, will never quit or stop writing. He may return we his verses over another form or medium.
Hasta Luego!!!
I’m actually liking this, sounds pretty good. But I’ve always enjoyed more hardcore vocals than death metal growls.
Lahar played with Cannabis Corpse at one of our German shows!
That’s probably the Czech band Lahar, who are evidently still active!
will you ever post a picture of what you look like?