Shredification: Spring Metal Preview
Spring is wending its way towards San Francisco, and the improved weather will be accompanied by an array of exciting metal albums and the tours that follow in their wake. Bands both local and national will have new wares on display -- here are a few of the choicest to anticipate. Jucifer - Throned in Blood (April 6th, 2010, Nomadic Fortress Records) No matter how many times I enumerate Jucifer's essential details, they're still completely captivating. To wit, Amber Valentine and Edgar Livengood are the world's heaviest husband-and-wife team. As if that weren't quirky-cool enough, they're also officially nomadic, having [...]
Shredification: Thrash Attack
The last column took on a bifurcated Death Metal/Stoner Metal focus, so I'm happy to return today with an update that concerns the Bay Area's favorite kind of metal: Thrash! To bring the uninitiated up to speed, let us note the fact that these Nor-Cal shores were at the epicenter of a musical movement, at a time when bands like Exodus, Testament, Death Angel, and everyone's favorite Napster-enemies were beginning still-extant careers amid an orgy of polka-beating violence. In recent years, heavy music has witnessed an explosion of so-called "retro-thrashers," all attempting to capture the glory and furious fecundity that [...]