They look like your dad and have been rocking since you were a baby, but Maryland veterans Clutch are a band that still remain one of rock’s finest overseas imports.
Since their inception in the early 1990’s Clutch have been a band that thrives only on going forward and never back, changing with both age and the times but never dipping in quality. With a salivating blend of blues-laden stoner rock, hilarious socio-political lyrics and enough facial hair to resurface Wembley Stadium, the band are true hard rock royalty in every sense of the word – a band revered and in some cases worshipped by their
contemporary peers yet bettered by none.
Taken from the recently re-released ‘Robot Hive/Exodus’, the curiously titled ‘10,0011,10101’ is the sound of a band at the peak of their powers.
The last few years have been tough for Bakersfield boys Korn. Previously hailed as the godfathers of a once revolutionary movement in the now loathed “Nu-Metal”, the band found themselves seemingly shunned by much of the music press, their then record label Sony, and even long-standing guitarist ‘Head’ who swiftly exited from the fold after discovering the joys of Christianity.
Abjekt’s favourite crew Doomtree are the leading lights in underground hip hop right now, but their talent knows no bounds. Lazerbeak, one of the producers in Doomtree, has been in a The Plastic Constellations since he was 14, and as they’ve grown together, from supporting Low at 15 to where they are now, releasing their third album, he’s ready to show the world he’s not just a brilliant hip hop beatsmith, he’s a great songwriter and guitarist too.
Following on from their hugely promising debut singles last year, Manchester based three piece The Longcut are stepping up the pace with their forthcoming album ‘A Call and A Response’. The Longcut are a hard band to label, they seem to have shrugged off any pigeonholing, and thank god for that. This is both innovative and original but still retains familiar guitar sensibilities woven into the mix. Echoes of Mogwai, Joy Division and My Bloody Valentine transcend to stunning, atmospheric melodies and catchy hooks in an album that just entwines itself around you.
There are few bands and even fewer records capable of standing the tests of time like Slayer and their eponymous 1986 release “Reign In Blood“. While the likes of Metallica’s “Master of Puppets” and Megadeth’s “Rest In Peace” were offering tasty and superiorly technical treats, Slayer were a band tapping into something far more sinister and a damn sight heavier, creating an album that by all stretches of the imagination would redefine the term in itself.
Fuck all of that metal shit masquerading as hardcore, this is the real deal. Fast, pissed off and utterly direct, The Horror plug directly into the roots of hardcore, feeding off the raw power of bands like SSD, Void, Negative Approach, DRI etc and spewing them back into the present in a wave of bile and hate. This is vicious stuff.
If you like your classic seventies rock and think you have the best of the period covered with your Led Zep, Thin Lizzy, Black Sabbath and Deep Purple records, think again. If you dig a little deeper and peek under a few stones there’s treasures there that will blow your brain. Captain Beyond may never have achieved the commercial success of the era’s monsters of rock but their debut album is artistically up their with the greats.
Back in the eighties Imperial Leather was every punks preferred soap for spiking up their hair. Yeah, we didn’t have gel or fudge in those days, we just used glue and soap ‘cos things were much more punk back then and this record celebrates those glory days! Musically Imperial Leather are classic punk rock with an early eighties sound that is packed full of high-energy tunes and buzzing riffs. The only difference from the old days being that ‘Something Out Of Nothing’ is blessed with a great production that is just on the right side of raw but clear enough to do the killer tunes justice.
Hope of the States spent most of 2005 holed up in a studio, with only 6 live dates to keep their fans satisfied. With their limited release EP Blood Meridian being lapped up, the Chichester 6 piece return to the airwaves with ‘Sing It Out’, the first single from their eagerly awaited second album ‘Left‘.
Having been clean from heroin for the last four years many could question whether Al Jourgensen still has the same vision and creativity upon which his Ministry work is known for. Hell even Al himself questioned it. But upon listening to ‘Rio Grande Blood’ all fears are dispelled immediately. Al has not only returned to form, he’s returned with possibly his most political and heaviest work to date.