Noisecreep http://www.noisecreep.com Noisecreep http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.noisecreep.com/media/noisecreep-logo.gif Noisecreep http://www.noisecreep.com en-us Copyright 2013 Blogsmith, LLC. The contents of this headlines and excerpts feed are available for limited commercial distribution. You may repost this feed to your site provided you link back to the original story, do not edit the material, and do not remove this copyright notice. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/ Powerviolence: An Extremely Angry 200+ Song Playlist http://www.noisecreep.com/2013/04/18/powerviolence-bands/ http://www.noisecreep.com/2013/04/18/powerviolence-bands/ http://www.noisecreep.com/2013/04/18/powerviolence-bands/#comments Filed under: ,


Ed Jones, AFP

Metal and hardcore spent the 1990s bouncing around between glory days and rock bottom. Miles apart from high-maintenance death metal gods and pop punk pariahs, the resolutely distrustful and scornful DIY movement called powerviolence remains a relic and a curiosity of that decade.

More a regional attitude and social constellation than a sound, powerviolence is an asterisk-shaped bullethole in the forehead of the metal and hardcore genres. The ridiculously fast, short, hateful, and funny scene mostly coalesced in California around Pessimiser fanzine, the Slap a Ham and Theologian labels, and bands like Man Is the Bastard, Despise You, Infest, and Spazz.

The impact was brief and severe, but the legendary moment of powerviolence survives as an inspiration to anyone with stamina and a taste for feedback and obliteration. See for yourself, with this high-speed barrage of over 200 piercing examples of raging powerviolence. ]]> charles bronsonCharlesBronsoncrossed outCrossedOutDespise YouDespiseYouInfestman is the bastardManIsTheBastardpowerviolencespazz Ian Christe 2013-04-18T15:00:00+00:00 Mellotrons in Metal: 7 Great Songs Featuring the Strange Organ http://www.noisecreep.com/2013/03/27/mellotron-songs/ http://www.noisecreep.com/2013/03/27/mellotron-songs/ http://www.noisecreep.com/2013/03/27/mellotron-songs/#comments Filed under: ,


www.mellotron.com

Recently, my wife directed MELLODRAMA: The Mellotron Story, a documentary about a California inventor who unveiled an organ in 1956 that could replay the sounds of other instruments using magnetic tape. His idea was lifted by an employee and sold abroad, and soon the Mellotron caught fire and became a rock music staple, championed by everyone from the Beatles (on "Strawberry Fields Forever") to Lynyrd Skynyrd (on "Free Bird").

While making Mellodrama, my wife interviewed baby boomers like Mike Pinder of the Moody Blues and Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys. She talked to pro pioneers from Yes, Genesis, and King Crimson, bands that based their entire sound around Mellotrons. But as I heard this strange, haunting instrument being played around the house, I realized that Mellotrons have als played an inspiring and evocative part in heavy metal dating back to the early 1970s. Black Sabbath and Opeth ended up in the film, I'm happy to say, and here's a sampling of majestic and metallic Mellotron moments that range from eerie strings to the choirs of the damned. ]]> Black SabbathBlackSabbathenslavedfabio frizziFabioFrizziiron clawIronClawmellotronopethsystem of a downSystemOfADown Ian Christe 2013-03-27T15:15:00+00:00 South Korean Heavy Metal: 10 Bands You Should Check Out http://www.noisecreep.com/2013/02/21/korean-heavy-metal-bands/ http://www.noisecreep.com/2013/02/21/korean-heavy-metal-bands/ http://www.noisecreep.com/2013/02/21/korean-heavy-metal-bands/#comments Filed under: ,


JANEK SKARZYNSKI, Getty Images

Beyond the goofy glitz of "Gangnam Style," mountains of scorching spicy kimchee, and futuristic video game culture, South Korea has offered an unsung chain of hammering and haunting metal bands for over 25 years.

The nation's recent outpouring of ultra-modern crime and horror films like Oldboy, I Saw the Devil, and Thirst should make it small surprise that this bustling country, still facing Cold War tension daily with its maniacal Northern neighbor, can vent some ambitious, dramatic, and very dark metal.

Join me for a journey from the early thrash metal garage to the candlelit velvet stages of dark orchestral expression found in South Korea's metal lineage. ]]> Gangnam StyleGangnamStylekoreakorean metal bandsKoreanMetalBandssouth koreaSouthKorea Ian Christe 2013-02-21T13:30:00+00:00 Best Debut Metal Albums of 2012 http://www.noisecreep.com/2013/01/24/best-debut-metal-albums-of-2012/ http://www.noisecreep.com/2013/01/24/best-debut-metal-albums-of-2012/ http://www.noisecreep.com/2013/01/24/best-debut-metal-albums-of-2012/#comments Filed under: ,


Amazon (2)

I've never understood why people spend so much time at the end of each year debating the merits of music released by the best-known names in metal. Although it happens, only rarely does a band with an established, branded style break away and surprise everyone with a rule-breaking, game-changing sound.

On the other hand, every year brings hundreds of noteworthy debut albums by bands from across the globe that will almost surely grow to captivate some undiscovered corner of the metal imagination in the future.

With that in mind, here are a formidable eleven tracks from 2012 debuts made in Holland, the UK, Greece, Germany, Ukraine, Japan, and the U.S. Chances are you will be hearing much more from some of these names; maybe you can say you heard them here first. ]]> agrussbinahbloodshot dawnBloodshotDawnchristian mistressChristianMistressDodecahedrondust boltDustBoltenvirusmentgrand supreme blood courtGrandSupremeBloodCourtimplicit obedienceImplicitObediencemutilation ritesMutilationRitesserpentine pathSerpentinePath Ian Christe 2013-01-24T13:30:00+00:00 Metallica, Slayer, Ratt, Possessed, and the Massive Influence of the 'Metal Massacre' Compilation Series http://www.noisecreep.com/2012/11/28/metal-massacre-metallica/ http://www.noisecreep.com/2012/11/28/metal-massacre-metallica/ http://www.noisecreep.com/2012/11/28/metal-massacre-metallica/#comments Filed under: , ,


Fin Costello, Getty Images

Among the many mighty metal milestones of 2012, the 30th birthday of Metal Blade Records stands as an amazing testament to the strength of metal devotion. Label founder Brian Slagel became a businessman almost by accident. He was a die-hard fan first, and editor of the fanzine New Heavy Metal Revue. Scraping together funding from money he saved while working at Sears, and a loan from his aunt, Slagel in 1982 created Metal Massacre, a Southern California-centered compilation to answer the countless label showcase collections of Britain's NWOBHM.

From that first release, which introduced the world to Metallica and Ratt, Metal Blade Records was born. Over most of the next decade, the next installments of the Metal Massacre compilation series unveiled some of the greatest names in metal, including Slayer, Trouble, Voivod, Fates Warning, and Hellhammer.

Here's a review of those auspicious debuts, in honor of three decades of Metal Blade.
]]> metallicapossessedrattslayer Ian Christe 2012-11-28T12:00:00+00:00 Heavy Metal Beach Party Songs http://www.noisecreep.com/2012/08/24/beach-songs/ http://www.noisecreep.com/2012/08/24/beach-songs/ http://www.noisecreep.com/2012/08/24/beach-songs/#comments Filed under: , ,


Amazon (2)

Every August, the lakefronts and shorelines of America swell to the bursting point with sun-crazed vacationeers, plenty of them in black T-shirts. Unfortunately, for some reason the default soundtrack at beaches everywhere seems to be a washed-up flotsam of brain-dead pop hits, lame Jimmy Buffett songs, and useless reggae.

Headbangers should have no fear, however, because the ultimate metal beach soundtrack is here to take its necessary place alongside stocked coolers of beer, violent board wipeouts, and your friendly local neighborhood sea carnivores. Plant the flag of metal in the sand, prepare to get your leathers wet.

]]> beach songsBeachSongsblastblind guardianBlindGuardianm.o.d.MicrosoftmodSacred ReichSacredReichSuicidal TendenciesSuicidalTendencies Ian Christe 2012-08-24T15:30:00+00:00 7 African Metal Bands to Check Out http://www.noisecreep.com/2012/08/14/african-heavy-metal-bands/ http://www.noisecreep.com/2012/08/14/african-heavy-metal-bands/ http://www.noisecreep.com/2012/08/14/african-heavy-metal-bands/#comments Filed under: , ,


Overthrust

When I wrote Sound of the Beast almost ten years ago, I described the evolution of heavy metal as a kind of global game of catch. A heavy iron ball was forged in Birmingham, England, around 1970, thrown to the United States, passed back to Britain for the NWOBHM, and then back to the U.S. for the thrash metal wave, and eventually finding its way in succession to Japan, Brazil, Scandinavia, and farther and farther corners of the electrified world.

The new frontier, though I guess it's more like a collection of scattered outposts, is Africa. San Francisco thrash punks Conquest for Death toured South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, and the Reunion Isles in 2007, and returned with photos of ecstatic African music fans, including a coterie of die-hard Botswanan headbangers dressed head to two in leather. These metal missionaries were followed by the corporate cameras of CNN and Vice, who have posted galleries online of intense African metal fashion, a cross between the The Road Warrior and Westworld.

Once again, as was the case everywhere else, isolation has shaped a unique new breed of metalhead, as these homegrown African bands demonstrate.
]]> africaafricanafrican heavy metalAfricanHeavyMetal Ian Christe 2012-08-14T15:00:00+00:00 Heavy Metal, French Style: a Playlist in Honor of Bastille Day http://www.noisecreep.com/2012/07/14/french-heavy-metal-bands/ http://www.noisecreep.com/2012/07/14/french-heavy-metal-bands/ http://www.noisecreep.com/2012/07/14/french-heavy-metal-bands/#comments Filed under: , ,


French Flag

In honor of French National Day, please put on your spiked black leather beret and hold high your goblet of blood-red Bordeaux wine in honor of the country's recent heavy metal victories. France has supplied a surprising slew of formidable bands in recent years, breaking open an metal arsenal of free-thinking bands that range from the ultra-extreme to the sublime.

Check out this killer playlist Noisecreep has put together in honor of Bastille Day! ]]> alcestbastille dayBastilleDaydeathspell omegaDeathspellOmegagojirasortilege Ian Christe 2012-07-14T10:00:00+00:00 Heavy Metal Protest Songs: An Independence Day Playlist http://www.noisecreep.com/2012/07/03/heavy-metal-protest-songs/ http://www.noisecreep.com/2012/07/03/heavy-metal-protest-songs/ http://www.noisecreep.com/2012/07/03/heavy-metal-protest-songs/#comments Filed under: , ,


AFP

Heavy metal by its nature is defiant and rebellious, a threat to law and order. Black Sabbath's early records were loaded with protest songs about war, drugs, and ecology. Even the ancient and Biblical blood raining from the lacerated skies above Slayer has a radical effect; and no matter what Lemmy sings about Motörhead is a three-man social revolution in motion.

The entire thrash metal wave took a cue from punk rock and explored themes like injustice, exploitation, and corruption. Those moshpit revolts inspired political 1990s rap-metal bands like Rage Against the Machine, Downset, and System of a Down. For any metal freedom fighter, here's a playlist of protest metal to run up the flagpole during the rockets red glare. ]]> black sabbathBlackSabbathbrujeriadischargekreatormegadethnapalm deathNapalmDeathtwisted sisterTwistedSister Ian Christe 2012-07-03T13:00:00+00:00 Non-Metal Bands at Metallica's Orion Music + More Festival: A Headbanger's Guide http://www.noisecreep.com/2012/06/21/orion-music-more-festival-guide/ http://www.noisecreep.com/2012/06/21/orion-music-more-festival-guide/ http://www.noisecreep.com/2012/06/21/orion-music-more-festival-guide/#comments Filed under: , ,


Getty Images (2)

Metallica stood on stages in 2011 alongside Slayer, Megadeth, and Anthrax. In 2012, they are asking more of their loyal fans. Their inaugural Orion Music + More festival in Atlantic City on June 23 and June 24 will present a slew of metal's latest attractions, including Ghost, Charred Walls of the Damned, Landmine Marathon, and Baroness. In addition, the band members will each host an exhibition drawing from their personal interests: cars, monsters, films, and board sports.

A special fan club tent will offer appearances by band sound engineer "Big" Mick Hughes, Murder in the Front Row co-author Brian Lew, and famous father Torben Ulrich. But the band has also arranged an epic cultural clash, as they prepare to share the spotlight with elite indie rock outfits including Arctic Monkeys, Cage the Elephant, Fucked Up, The Gaslight Anthem, and many more. For headbangers headed to this alien land of strange musical tastes, haircuts, and concertgoing behavior, here's a menu of what to expect from the less deathly stars in the Orion constellation. After all, forewarned is forearmed. ]]> arctic monkeysArcticMonkeysbest coastBestCoastcage the elephantCageTheElephantfucked upFuckedUpgaslight anthemGaslightAnthemhot snakesHotSnakesliturgyMetallicamodest mouseModestMouseOrion Music + More FestivalOrionMusic+MoreFestivalroky ericksonRokyEricksonthe gaslight anthemTheGaslightAnthem Ian Christe 2012-06-21T11:40:00+00:00 11 Heavy Metal Songs Inspired by Comic Book Heroes http://www.noisecreep.com/2012/06/11/comic-book-heroes/ http://www.noisecreep.com/2012/06/11/comic-book-heroes/ http://www.noisecreep.com/2012/06/11/comic-book-heroes/#comments Filed under: , ,


Marvel (2)

Once upon a time, there were masked men in capes battling injustice across the land -and they called themselves heavy metal musicians. Though metal and its equally misunderstood mistress of the printed page, comic books, both grapple with similar themes of vengeance, honor, and evil, the two cross paths less often than you'd think.

Comics are comics, and metal is metal, both struggling to be taken seriously, keeping a respectful distance. There are no Morbid Angel songs about the Avengers. Sometimes the lure of good escapist fun is just irresistible, though. Here's a colorful playlist of caped crusaders, cartoon cats, and hand-drawn demigods as celebrated by the real-life heroes of metal. ]]> anthraxbatmanblack sabbathBlackSabbathbloodstarentombedgarfieldghost riderGhostRidermegadethramonesspider-manthorvideo Ian Christe 2012-06-11T12:30:00+00:00 Maryland Deathfest: 10 Dark Horse Bands to Check Out This Weekend http://www.noisecreep.com/2012/05/23/maryland-deathfest-bands/ http://www.noisecreep.com/2012/05/23/maryland-deathfest-bands/ http://www.noisecreep.com/2012/05/23/maryland-deathfest-bands/#comments Filed under: , ,


Facebook.com (2)

By now, anyone headed to Baltimore for the tenth anniversary weekend of Maryland Deathfest (May 24-27) has already sewn fresh patches on their denim vest, salted their livers, and said goodbye to their loved ones.

Star attractions such as Napalm Death, Saint Vitus, Suffocation, Brujeria, and Morbid Angel promise a solid assault on the senses from three stages for three days. But intrepid metalheads and lurkers enjoying the blizzard of forthcoming YouTube uploads from home, would be wise to seek out some of the historic fare appearing in fine print of the extreme marquee.

Despite the name, the secret of MDF's success is its diversity, bringing together fist bangers like Anvil, sludge lords Eyehategod, and the infernal 1970s sounds of The Devil's Blood-plus exclusive performances by legends such as the following. So guard your timetable well, pace yourself, and keep an eye out for one of these dark horses to steal the entire show. ]]> bethlehemconfessor-dhaliacontestdemigodmaryland deathfestMarylandDeathfestnasumrorschachwinter Ian Christe 2012-05-23T14:30:00+00:00 Happy 45th Birthday to Death's Chuck Schuldiner http://www.noisecreep.com/2012/05/13/chuck-schuldiner-death/ http://www.noisecreep.com/2012/05/13/chuck-schuldiner-death/ http://www.noisecreep.com/2012/05/13/chuck-schuldiner-death/#comments Filed under: ,


Relapse Records

As May 13 brings what should be the happy 45th birthday of Chuck Schuldiner, the legacy of the late Death/Control Denied/Mantas main man is found in the best state since his untimely passing over ten years ago.

With an ongoing ambitious reissue and rarity series appearing with regularity, the man's musical progress from 1984 through 2001 has been preserved, repaired where needed, and annotated by the bandmates, colleagues, and fellow travelers who knew him best. That doesn't change the brutal tragedy, that this pillar of metal determination was lost at age 34.

He deserved to last much longer, in no small part to see metal snap back from its downturn in popularity and the reach of his music to all parts of the world. From interviews completed for a book on Chuck's life, here's a birthday card to the departed death metal leader, signed by former bandmates Matt Olivo, Chris Reifert, Paul Masvidal, and Richard Christy at some key milestones along the way. ]]> chuck schuldinerChuckSchuldinerdeathmantasrichard christyRichardChristy Ian Christe 2012-05-13T11:50:00+00:00 Mommy, Can I Go Out and Kill Tonight?: A Heavy Metal Mother's Day Playlist http://www.noisecreep.com/2012/05/11/mothers-day-playlist/ http://www.noisecreep.com/2012/05/11/mothers-day-playlist/ http://www.noisecreep.com/2012/05/11/mothers-day-playlist/#comments Filed under: , ,


Bethany Clarke, Getty Images

Forget about the biggest moshpits, walls of death, deafening amp towers, and nailed armbands. No experience is more brutally intense than childbirth, having your body turned inside out or cut open while you watch, as the case may be. Forget about flowers and cards, every single mother among us deserves a suitably potent metal playlist this Mother's Day. Headbangers, squeeze your moms closely as her tribute begins.

Check out our Heavy Metal Mother's Day Playlist below! ]]> Bruce DickinsonBruceDickinsondanzigdecapitatedglenn danzigGlennDanzigian christeIanChristemastodonmisfitssamsungsatyriconSuicidal TendenciesSuicidalTendencies Ian Christe 2012-05-11T17:25:00+00:00 Los Gritos de Mayo: A Mexican Underground Heavy Metal Primer http://www.noisecreep.com/2012/05/04/mexican-heavy-metal-bands/ http://www.noisecreep.com/2012/05/04/mexican-heavy-metal-bands/ http://www.noisecreep.com/2012/05/04/mexican-heavy-metal-bands/#comments Filed under: , ,


Kevin Winter, Getty Images

As the greatest drinking holiday the United States ever concocted on behalf of Mexico arrives this Cinco de Mayo, Noisecreep seizes the chance to celebrate the most powerful, repulsive, and violent underground metal bands Mexico has presented to the world over the past 25 years. Save your mariachi music for your office party, this is how the real metal faithful get down South of the border.

¡Cheque la lista abajo! ]]> cenotaphcinco de mayoCincoDeMayodisgorgeian christeIanChristeMexicoshub niggurathShubNiggurathsound of the beastSoundOfTheBeastthe chasmTheChasm Ian Christe 2012-05-04T20:15:00+00:00 Van Halen: An (Almost) 60-Year Timeline http://www.noisecreep.com/2012/01/13/van-halen-history/ http://www.noisecreep.com/2012/01/13/van-halen-history/ http://www.noisecreep.com/2012/01/13/van-halen-history/#comments Filed under: , ,


Getty Images

In the 1970s, Van Halen lit up the sky and toppled their rock elders; in the 1980s they conquered MTV and reigned supreme on the pop charts; and in the 1990s they went off the deep end recording with three lead singers. Along the way, many legends were born, and now the band seeks to reopen the book.

After a 15-year shallow orbit of tabloid fodder and reunion tours, the new three-parts Van Halen, one-part David Lee Roth lineup of America's most successful hard-rock band wants to rekindle its monster legacy with a new tour and the first studio album with the legendary Roth in almost three decades. For anyone new to the show or whose Van Halen memories faded long ago, here's a crash course in Van Halen history and all the major players, courtesy of the metal minds at Noisecreep. ]]> sammy hagarSammyHagarvan halenVanHalen Ian Christe 2012-01-13T14:00:00+00:00 Best Metal Songs of 1986 http://www.noisecreep.com/2011/07/06/best-metal-songs-of-1986/ http://www.noisecreep.com/2011/07/06/best-metal-songs-of-1986/ http://www.noisecreep.com/2011/07/06/best-metal-songs-of-1986/#comments Filed under: ,


Redferns/WireImage/Getty

By all rights, the early 1980s heavy metal craze should have been done by 1986, leaving behind only the neon scars, pink bandannas, and bootleg Quiet Riot T-shirts. Instead, an underground armada led by Metallica, Megadeth and Slayer reconfigured metal from the ground up, bringing bullet belts to the masses while injecting energy, integrity, and even some intelligence into its aggression. 25 years later, we are still dealing with the fallout of this year in flux. To help celebrate the year, Ian Christe, author of 'Sound of the Beast: The Complete Headbanging History of Heavy Metal,' picks the 10 most important metal songs of 1986.
]]> CandlemassCryptic SlaughterCrypticSlaughterDeathJudas PriestJudasPriestKing DiamondKingDiamondMegadethMetallicaNuclear AssaultNuclearAssaultSlayerVoivod Ian Christe 2011-07-06T12:00:00+00:00 1986: The Year That Thrash Broke http://www.noisecreep.com/2011/06/01/1986-the-year-that-thrash-broke/ http://www.noisecreep.com/2011/06/01/1986-the-year-that-thrash-broke/ http://www.noisecreep.com/2011/06/01/1986-the-year-that-thrash-broke/#comments Filed under:


Getty Images


1986 was a very good year for trailblazing thrash metal and quirky musical tangents that would have long-lasting impact. That year, young lions Metallica, Megadeth, and Slayer usurped the original old-school British masters, first on the streets and then in the record stores.

Basically, 1986 was the year that swords and sorcery were kicked out of the kingdom and replaced by a harsh dose of thrash reality, along with thousands of bullet-belted speed metal mavens worldwide. Meanwhile, crossover metalcore prospered, doom rumbled, progressive metal made its early marks, and the first screams of black and death metal were heard by anyone who was paying attention. ]]> anthraxkreatormegadethmetallica Ian Christe 2011-06-01T12:00:00+00:00