Funk You

Back in the late 80's, while watching Headbangers Ball, I saw a video from a band called Mordred, which was playing this funked up, metal version of Superfreak. I thought it was pretty cool, and they were actually the opening band for a Sacred Reich or Forbidden show I was going to, so I got the full experience. I will say, Mordred hooked me after seeing them live. You could tell they were all great musicians, combined with the resident DJ Pause, it was something totally new back then. The first Mordred release, Fool's Game, out on Noise International was a nice little gem that mixed some thrash metal with some funk. Not like the dreaded Limp Bisqucik we had to endure, and the rash of followers that were spawned out of it. Mordred put out another disc, In This Life in 1991, which became a little more funkier, a little less thrashy, but all good. The last bit of music I have from Mordred released in 1992 called Vision, which even further explored more funk and less metal, but still good. Mordred reunited in 2001 after splitting up in 1995 to play some selected shows. What they are up to now, is beyond me, but from what I've read it's nothing like the previous version of Mordred, should be interesting.
Check out Downtown from In This Life.
Here is The Artist from Fool's Game.
Buy from Amazon here.

Autopsy Breath

If anyone remembers Autopsy, then I have just described Death Breath to you. Death Breath sound almost exactly like Autopsy, and they do not hide the fact about being influenced by them, or Sacrifice, Venom, Celtic Frost, Possessed, etc.etc.etc....hell they want you to know that. The band is Nicke Anderson (Entombed, Hellacopters) and Robert Pehrsson with whoever wants to join in. I would describe the Death Breath sound as death-sludge metal, dirty-death metal, death-gunk metal, or muddy-death metal. The descriptions give you a visual of something big and massive trying to move through a swamp or bog- that's exactly it, so record the sound it makes and you have Death Breath. Good stuff!! The band's first release is out on Relapse, go buy it!!

Their second release is an EP- Let It Stink, and you can check out some tracks over here

Give 'em a listen, buy their CD or a shirt, and support underground metal!! (Remember that?) Seriously, support the underground and all the bands that are in there because that's where they want to be.

U or V

I'm back- not that I was missed, but I'll get going with a tasty review of one the classic and well respected death metal albums - Consuming Impulse by Pestilence, or Consvming Impvlse as it appears on the cover. Now, when this album came out, it was one that I had been waiting for what seemed like forever. Pestilence hailed from the Netherlands and were looped into the whole death metal craze of the late 80's- always mentioned in the same breath as Death, Morbid Angel, Carcass, Sepultura and Obituary, has respect built in. Pestilence sound was just a tad bit different from the typical death metal set up, they added elements of brutality, technical guitar playing and all around some killer vo-kills. The unique part of Pestilence is that the drumming never really ventured into the blast beat area, which helped to define their sound more than just some noise, but well orchestrated, controlled chaos. Their first album Malleus Maleficarum had some thin production, to me, that took away from the serious brutality that was Pestilence. Then came Consuming Impulse, which answered my prayers. The first time I heard this, it was like, sweet Jesus, this is what death metal is all about. I must have listened to that tape,(yes tape)over and over and over for months. I finally was going to get the chance to see Pestilence in concert, but for some reason they could not get over to the U.S., and alas, I have never seen Pestilence in concert. After the Consuming Impulse tour, the lead singer and bass player, Martin Van Drunen left, and Pestilence took on a more complex, technical, jazz influenced sound. Yes, still good, and here is where the line is drawn among Pestilence fans, it's either the first two or everything after that. Me- I'm with the first two. Tony Choy came into the fold to play bass, the same Tony Choy who was in Cynic and Atheist at the same time.
There are some Pestilence fan sites on Myspace
Consuming Impulse has just been released as the single album on iTunes instead of the Roadrunner Greatest Hits package that included Consuming Impulse and Testimony of the Ancients on the same disc.
Finally, former members of Pestilence, Patrick Mameli and Tony Choy, have teamed up with former Cynic and Death drummer Sean Reinert and Tony Jelencovich to form a new group called C-187. They describe their sound as "difficult to describe the style", which means killer.