Seth's Top 11 of '11

Hell. I just spent nearly six seconds scribbling a list of 2011's top albums and it somehow caught fire. I managed to salvage the wreckage and now struggle to read my own handwriting, but here's the juice: 2011 was one fuckin' fat year. My world of metal expanded far beyond the reaches of my most reliable belt. From thick, murky, crust-vomit sludge to soaring atmospheric soundscapes, this year stretched boundaries and broadened the spectrum. When I wasn't pretending to love my day job, I was casually admiring dozens of the finest heavy albums the year offered. I'll do my best to scale back the dick-suckin' diatribes, but these albums had me at "dude... you gotta hit this shit."

1. Rwake - "Rest"

"This sludge/doom opus is so broad in vision and scope, I can make no promise this discourse will suffice in validating the exhaustive (and exhausting) beauty of these six tracks. I almost feel like a violator of someone's very personal, metaphysical glaze; this haunting roll through layers of pensive fog is gonna leave a mark."




2. Ironweed - "Your World of Tomorrow"

"Ironweed have struck an incredible balance between their instruments, creating a sound that is confident, honest, and ultimately indisputable. The production of the album is slick, the track selection is dead-on. Ironweed have put together an album that's meaningful without being pretentious, heavy without being over-stuffed, and precise without being clean. What a cool vibe."




3. Vultures At Arms Reach - "+)))((()))((()))((()))-"

"+)))((()))((()))((()))- is 25 haunting and atmospheric minutes that soar, drift, and march to the beat of an otherworldly ocean of sound. Spend some time with this one and see where you're taken. You may find yourself losing track of time, needing less sleep, and fantasizing about a life that doesn't so closely resemble hell. The mood grows ominous and you begin to wonder just what impact this solid three-track EP is gonna have on your frame."



4. Black Cobra - "Invernal"

"This riff-oriented collection is far too immense and far too fast to serve as background music while you wash dishes. Give it your full attention. Let it wear you out like the drunk whore at your block party, and make sure you ask for seconds. Invernal will burn and blister, but it's gonna heal a lot better than the stupid tribal tattoo you just sat through."




5. The Dive - Self-titled

"From the album's ashy lead-off stroke to the final breath of the hidden track's primal, organic, and effortless amalgam, The Dive roll through smoky psychedelic jams that no debut album should rightly boast. Soaring, moon-shot riffs, grooving tempos, and a brilliant vocal high-five make this self-titled the perfect soundtrack to a snakebite hospital rush. Enjoy this; it may not happen again."


6. Wizard Smoke - "The Speed of Smoke"

"From beginning to end, The Speed of Smoke oozes otherworldly psychedelia, doom/stoner grooves, and prog-rock leanings. This is one of the better albums you’ll hear this year. The track placement is perfect, the sounds are jaw-dropping, and the heavy is incessant. Put The Speed of Smoke on your “must-hear” list of 2011 and sit back as you’re guided through a black cosmos."




7. Swamp Witch - "Gnosis"

"Ridiculously slow, heathenistic sludge from the bowels of some clandestine swamp located in Oakland, CA., Swamp Witch decimate your ears with eerie bellowing howls, slipshod grooves, mind-numbing feedback, and a daunting unholiness." - Reg






8. Ethereal Riffian - "Shaman's Visions"

"These thirty minutes have plenty to offer, and you won't be disappointed. Whether it's sludge, doom, stoner, et cetera, you'll find it here. What you'll also find is a trip to a dense, sweltering, untouched world of groove and mist. Bring a backpack, a canteen, and a useless map. Ethereal Riffian is taking you deep into some pretty cool places."



9. City of Ships - "Minor World"

"This album is evanescent. You'll think this is a two-way street, you'll buzz from the stomach-pit butterflies, and then you'll have the rug pulled out from under you. But, of course... you'll go back for more. On Minor World, this trio manages to deliver an effort of staggering thickness, congenial sadness, and wandering cosmic acceptance."




10. Shroud Eater - "ThunderNoise"

Shroud Eater is the reason I write for Heavy Planet. Reg featured them, Toby interviewed them, I bought their cd and t-shirt. ThunderNoise sounds like a spring morning, if spring mornings are cloudy, wet, and fraught with brilliant sludge/doom descent. Few bands play this hard.




11. Belzebong - "Sonic Scapes and Weedy Grooves"

"This twice-baked sack o' ditch is packed with serious sludge and gorgeously fuzzy feedback. Don't bogart it; Belzebong brought plenty of supplies on Sonic Scapes & Weedy Grooves. Your parole agent is gonna be pissed, but Belzebong can take you somewhere he'll never follow. Their Kansas Grass ain't no schwag, son. This swirling, thumping kush frolic is the perfect, uh... score to an after-school session with your pals. Clear your calendar.



I won't call this honorable mention, that sounds terrible. Let's call it "Ten More Albums That Blistered Your Ass":

Weedeater - "Jason The Dragon"
Carcinogenic Corpse - "Noise Farm"
Borracho - "Splitting Sky"
Ponamero Sundown - "Rodeo Electrica"
Giantrider - Self-Titled
Elvis Deluxe - "Favourite State of Mind"
Using Bridge - "And I Will Be Heard"
Archon - "The Ruins At Dusk"
BOAR - Self-titled
Mastodon - "The Hunter"

Album Review: Ironweed - "Your World of Tomorrow"

Ironweed don't want you to think like everyone else. Luckily, they've provided a manual on how to tolerate the mundane just until you can get home, crack a beer, and sneer in the face of conformists. The album's cover says plenty (unfold the album's insert and it says much more) about its message. This concept album wastes no time in grabbing your collar and doing everything it can to keep you from becoming another automaton. Don't buy in, pig. Don't buy in.

You can call Your World of Tomorrow a departure from Ironweed's sound, strongly established on 2008's Indian Ladder, but you'd be neglecting the band's strides. You can't call it stoner-metal, you can't call it grunge, you can't even call it terribly unsettling until you focus on the lyrics. The influences permeate the disc without detracting from the band's vision. Is this what post-grunge might've sounded like if it hadn't had a false sense of entitlement? One wonders.

Now Stronger wastes absolutely no time in combining dusty groove with cock-rock vocals and that distant sunset guitar we cream our jeans over. Timing on the track (and throughout the disc) is perfect, a testament to impeccable production. Guitars here are roman candles, finding a discernible pattern while seemingly spraying everything with good-time flames. The rhythm never relents, setting the tone for an aggressive, poignant collection of tracks that leaves listeners thinking about their lives as they raise the horns.

Your World of Tomorrow is swollen with feedback, fuzz, and bounce, fueled by drums that remain steady at the forefront despite Jeff Andrews's brilliant classic-rock auditions. The vocals sail on Enduring Snakes as Mike Vitali's anthemic licks channel Kim Thayil's Jesus Christ Pose fretwork and the rhythm slices down sequoias. Listen to Awaken and you'll again hear Soundgarden, but you'll be surprised where the song goes, almost taking elements from HUM before the death-growl (out of nowhere) guides the listener through a rain-soaked funeral.

Dan Dinsmore's drums keep things modest here. The rhythm section (let's not ignore Slater's bass) does more in these forty minutes than most bands do in a career. The groove on both The Lucky Ones and Messenger chews up preconceptions, finding elements of doom and heart-thumping blur. These songs could be ballads if they were totally lame. Fortunately, they're not. On a short street, these songs click through gear after gear and sing no apology for the noise.

Two songs perfectly balance the album's mood and motivation; And the New Slaves paces the album well, though the listener quickly realizes this band doesn't give a shit about pacing. What's important here is the dreary dreaminess the track pretends not to seek. Admit it, guys... This song's brilliant, you know it, and you want the entire world to hear it. Guitars fight with one another, riffs slice through bone, and skin-slaps warn of the drag-race romp you're about to run from. Drums cheese out, spit, and fade into space. The song begins like Catamaran from Kyuss and ends like QOTSA's I was a Teenage Hand Model. Let's be clear... I don't have a problem with how the song begins, ends, or what's in-between. Neither will you.

On the other hand, Red Circles is C.O.C. guitar grind, with the song's final minute serving as one of the most head-twitching tracks I expect to hear this year. The guitars are sawing pines and hiding behind veils, all at once. The track goes in every direction, often at the drop of a hat. Love it.

The concept on Your World of Tomorrow is great, while the band's sound has evolved. Ironweed have struck an incredible balance between their instruments, creating a sound that is confident, honest, and ultimately indisputable. The production of the album is slick, the track selection is dead-on. It doesn't matter who people say this band kinda sounds like (Kyuss, Soundgarden, HUM, C.O.C.) because the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Ironweed have put together an album that's meaningful without being pretentious, heavy without being over-stuffed, and precise without being clean. What a cool vibe.





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Ironweed Posts New Videos

Albany, New York`s Ironweed have posted the following clips from their recent show at Rev Hall in Troy, NY. Also on the bill were Year Long Disaster and The Sword.

”Vertigo”


”A World Away”


”Death of Me”


”This Faithless Will”


”A Penny For Your Prayers”


In addition, the band has uploaded their video of “This Faithless Will” from their debut, Indian Ladder (Small Stone Records). The clip can be seen here.

Album Of The Day- Ironweed-"Indian Ladder" (2008)

The Album Of The Day is "Indian Ladder" by Ironweed.



Review:

"When is the new Solace coming? How are we going to cope with Alabama Thunderpussy's demise? Will Corrosion of Conformity ever regroup and put some shit out? While I cannot answer any of those probing yet understandably necessary questions, I can tell you one thing. This new Ironweed rekkid fucking kills and you all should get it.

Though not original as far as southern fried metal goes, Ironweed's Indian Ladder achieves exactly what it sets out to do. Wild, roaring and ass kicking heavy rocking metal with a kind of vocal performance that you expect Anselmo to pull off but hasn't done so in a long time. I mean, check out slow chuggy chorus of Disconnect, those modern metal breakdowns and back to the chorus. Why is this not more popular? It's catchy, heavy and really really catchy.

Most of Indian Ladder sees the line-up settle down on an up-tempo groove and a vibe quite akin to the aforementioned. Which of course means you expect nothing but some mean, loud, dirty and heavy guitar riffs, energetic drumming, intelligent and hook-driven rockers, cool production and some ballsy wah-laden old school guitar solos.

The vocalist doesn't shy away from trying shit out either. Case in point, the monstrous growl of the beginning of Thorn before he goes back to something straight out of Kyle Thomas' bag of tricks. The rest of the band is no slouch either, as far as trying different things out. Thorn's second half sees them do a sludgy start-stop interplay with the drums, then go on a calmer arpeggiated passage before ending the song in an epic fashion.

For every song like Thorn, you have something like Rid the Earth, a more straight-up and nasty southern metal to sing-along to and more importantly play the air-cowbell to. A Penny for Your Prayers might begin gloriously like Sabbath going all southern, but just wait for things to calm down for a total Faith No More chorus. Totally unexpected and very well done, especially when you're just past all this and made it to the manic and intense ending. What greets you next is the most doom and sludge friendly song of the album. Lifeless Coil also features some of the most tortured vocals on the album.

I can go on and on about this, but let's abruptly cut to the bottom line – Indian Ladder fucking kills." (Srikanth Panaman,www.kvltsite.com)

More reviews:

Track Listing:

01. The Faithless Will
02. Lost and Forgotten
03. Disconnect
04. A World Away
05. Thorn
06. Rid the Earth
07. A Penny for Your Prayers
08. Lifeless Coil
09. Vertigo
10. Death of Me
11. Moth

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