anniversaries

Astronomy Domine

Today Voivod’s Nothingface turns 20. I wonder if it was a kind of Black Album for Voivod’s fans. Its prog rock was such a change from the twisted thrash of previous albums. Also, it was the band’s first major label record. Did people cry “sellout”? Having discovered Voivod with 1991’s Angel Rat and not hearing […]

Danzig - 4p

Danzig has always been too stylish to be truly evil. From the Misfits’ and Samhain’s iconic looks to his skull logo and Verotik comic book company, Danzig’s imagery makes for great t-shirts. True evil, like its antithesis (“YHWH”), should not be effable. The tidiness of its presentation doesn’t detract from Danzig’s work, though. It’s just […]

Invisible Oranges turns 3

Sometimes you’re so busy that you forget your own birthday. That’s the hope, anyway, as one gets older. Invisible Oranges turned 3 last week. This is a long time in Internet terms. The site is doing well. Readership has more than doubled since this time last year. But the site could always do better. How […]

Don't Break the Oath, The Warning

Time is short for me at the moment, as I am moving, house hunting, job hunting, and couch surfing all at the same time. But I must remind you of two important anniversaries. Mercyful Fate’s Don’t Break the Oath and Queensrÿche’s The Warning both turn 25 today. Dust them off and bow down. Mercyful Fate […]

Helmet - Betty

Helmet’s Betty, which turned 15 yesterday, commanded my youthful obsessions in a manner since unmatched. I had the CD, the “Biscuits for Smut” CD single, and the gatefold 2×10″ — even though I had no turntable. That hung above my TV. I pored over interviews with Page Hamilton and hung his Guitar World cover on […]

Faith No More - The Real Thing

Faith No More’s The Real Thing turns 20 tomorrow. 11 year-old me couldn’t get enough of it. I listened to it constantly for probably about a year. Then I left it behind. It’s not a “deep” record. Faith No More isn’t a “deep” band. I wonder what Faith No More means to people. It’s good […]

Obituary - Slowly We Rot

Getting it right the first time means it’s only downhill from there. On Slowly We Rot, which turned 20 yesterday, Obituary not only found their sound, but nailed it shut. The record answered the question of what Celtic Frost would sound like playing death metal. Grumbling trudges, thrashy rave-ups, and whammified solos formed half the […]

Sodom - Agent Orange

Happy 20th birthday, Agent Orange. Evidently, it is the best-selling German thrash record ever. In Germany alone, it shifted over 100,000 copies. 99% of metal albums now don’t put up those kinds of numbers worldwide! Agent Orange‘s secret weapon was guitarist Frank Blackfire. He made it and its predecessor Persecution Mania unstoppable thrashing machines. (In […]

Morbid Angel - Altars of Madness

Picture disc, 2006 reissue Happy 20th birthday, Altars of Madness. The record is actually one of my least favorite by Morbid Angel. It has crackling performances, catchy songwriting, and the band’s best production besides Gateways to Annihilation. But it lacks the majestic atmosphere of later records. That infamous murk contributed to Morbid Angel’s sick ambience. […]

Black Flag - My War

In March 1984, Black Flag put out My War. After a long dispute with their record label that prevented them from releasing music, they had plenty stored up. Over the next 18 months, they put out four studio full-lengths, one live album, and one EP. Before they broke up in 1986, they changed the face […]
<< >>