Burning Witch - Crippled Lucifer

Ahh, Burning Witch - what a terrifying band. Crippled Lucifer was one of those albums I got when I was younger simply because I thought the cover art was fucking mint. It therefore coincidentally opened up the drab underbelly of doom metal for me; not only was it slow, the absence of groove and most melody made it a painful first listen. I had no idea that doom could be so twisted, evil and harrowing. Granted, there are slower bands, and yes, there are heavier bands, but Burning Witch turned me onto a world that I probably wouldn't ever have touched otherwise, due to being generally consumed by endless grindcore.

Crippled Lucifer is actually a compilation record of sorts, coupling both of the band's records - Rift.Canyon.Dreams and Towers - into one package. It is responsible for bringing Burning Witch to an entire new worldwide audience, where they once wallowed in a fair amount of obscurity. Sunn O)))'s Stephen O'Malley played the guitar here, and released this on Southern Lord.

The one thing that really puts this above a lot of other stuff in the (now very over-saturated) doom metal genre is the insane vocal performances. Straight from the off they are a combination of throat-scraping, tormented wails and puzzling sung passages.

Words can only say so much. Have a goosey.

Sunn O))) & Scott Walker - Soused

Sunn O))) are a bunch of folks who love their arsty fartsy, hipster-baiting collaborations. The split with Ulver, the featuring of Julian Cope on earlier drones, the covering of "Che" on a 10" shared with Alan Vega, that art installation thingy that Oracle was based around, and I'm sure there's more but those are the ones that spring to mind. So I'm not surprised then, to see this collab with Scott Walker come along at some point, after being rumoured for quite some time, and only be available on some ridiculously overpriced limited label release. Oh well, at least it's on Spotify so I don't have to burn in hell for downloading music on the sly.

A friend told me before I started listening that this collab record suffers a similar symptom as Metallica and Lou Reed's mash up - that basically, it's one band doin' their thang as usual, and then another guy just rambling incoherently over the top of it all. As Soused opens up with "Brando" (which is hope is not about Marlon Brando or Brando Calrissian, because that would be shit, because I say so haha) I can totally appreciate where the comparisons to LuLu are coming from, but this record is much more well put together than that fucking Loutallica farce.

Despite Scott Walker having an extremely unique voice he does remind me of Lou Reed a bit, actually. I've never actually heard Scott Walker before but he's now on my enormous fucking list of shit to check out. I wanna hear him sans-O))). Anyways, this collab is actually pretty good, and I thoroughly enjoyed it, which is not something I particularly expected to do. I just sat there and read pretty much the entirety of Garth Ennis' Preacher Book 4 whilst listening to it. With the good ol' Americana feel of both of these things pairing quite well, I had a hell of a time, to be honest.

What I'm really looking forward to though is a brand new Sunn O))) full length, so get on it ye cunty fuckin' radge robe wearing spastics!

 

Earth - Primitive And Deadly

Fuck! What happened here? Earth are definitely not messing about on their new record - the heaviest thing the band have done in over a decade. I can get behind this! Since their reformation / regrouping, Earth have been all about calm, serene, bright and wavering tones; colossal monuments of clean guitar work and uplifting instrumental soundscapes - almost like the shoegazing equivalent of their early drone days. But this is something else entirely. Someone finally decided to turn Earth's amps up, and I couldn't be happier with that decision.

The Bees Made Honey... is one of my favourite things ever, and I loved the first part of Angels Of Darkness Demons Of Light, with it's dusty, haunting, almost western sound. The second part of that double album was much, much more sparse, and I must admit I lost interest a bit, with Earth's already stripped back sound being reeled in even further (I gotta say though, the bass playing was pretty funky). 

I'm not sure if I'm entirely sold on the inclusion of guest vocalists (Rabia Shaheen Qazi and sometimes-QOTSA collaborator Mark Lanegan) but the reappearance of distortion in Earth's work has made a world of difference for me. It's not as if it is overpowering in any way, or like it even detracts from the subtleties going on around the guitar, it's just that everything sounds much more alive and vital - something that can do no harm for a band as far into their career as Earth. 

Enter a shimmering, mesmerising desert of sonic absolution.

Let It Die - Let It Die

I first saw these guys by chance when I went up to Bristol to catch Weekend Nachos. Little did I know until a few days before that the show was an all dayer, filled to the brim with some of the best fuckin' grindcore bands the UK has to offer right now. Despite the fact that I had completed the Ultimate Burger challenge (I won't go into it) pre-gig and was in a state of too-much-protein-lethargy for the entire day, I had one hell of a blast and got turned on to so many new bands. I guess it got me right back into grind! It was the kick that I needed, the reminder that the underground was still alive somewhere and I was just too blind to see it.

 

So when I heard that this 7" was coming out on a collaboration featuring the excellent Dead Chemists Records I nearly shit a brick in excitement. Gutted for the band that this didn't end up coming out on Southern Lord, but it sure as hell made it easier (and cheaper) for me to get a copy right here in the UK! This spins at 45 so it doesn't last very long, but it doesn't need to; it's punchy and in your face and gets it's point across quickly. The production is great, echoing the band's extremely tight live sound a thousandfold on record. This totally doesn't sound like a 3 piece.

 

Out on Dead Chemists, Church of Fuck and Moshtache Records on pinky/purple waxxx.

Sleep - Dopesmoker

I've been holding off buying this fucker for a long time, mainly because I was plagued with the dilemma of getting it on vinyl (far superior format) or on CD (song plays through in one go). As collectable as the vinyl pressing of Tee Pee's release might be, I forever shyed away from it due to the fact that the hour-plus trip that is Dopesmoker would be broken up into bits. That just wouldn't do! Anyway, I never got around to buying it on CD either because I'm lazy like that, and in 2012 Southern Lord snuck this reissue upon us; remixed and remastered to absolute fucking audible ecstasy, causing stoners around the world to blaze socially-retarded amounts of da 'erb in celebration.

 

above right: it's so fancy that even the inside of the of sleeves are printed on.

I was a few website clicks away from purchasing the CD when I happened upon this vinyl version, in all it's shiny fucking beautiful glory. Southern Lord do not fuck about when it comes to vinyl. I caved, and I went for the vinyl version, rather than the CD, even though the journey was broken into three parts. And do you know what the best part is? That turned out to be a good thing! In an interview that I read recently, Matt Pike revealed that Dopesmoker was recorded on reel-to-reel tape - THE fucking medium that translates godly to wax. Good news yes, but there's something else. Do you fuckers know the MAX recording time on a reel-to-reel tape? No? Well it's fucking 22 fucking minutes. Holy fuck. That means that Dopesmoker was recorded in THREE seperate parts; coincidentally the same number of sides that Dopesmoker is split across here. So what you can hear on this pressing is the three original reel-to-reel tapes, mixed to perfection. Why am I making such a big deal over this? Well, mainly because this is one of the greatest record packages I have ever bought.

 

 

When I first read about another version of Dopesmoker I was sceptical, but the mix here is far superior to any other version; it's just so clear! I'm not sure exactly what was done to clear the whole thing up so much but the guy who did it, Brad Boatright, deserves a fucking medal. Dopesmoker is a fucking monolith in the stoner / doom genres, and this is the absolute, definitive version that simply must be heard by all metal fans and/or stoners. An absolutely huge achievement in modern music, this is the version of Dopesmoker YOU should own!

Warning: Listening to this record may make you a better person and/or a wizard.
(Unfortunately the new 2012 version isn't available on Youtube but if you got Spotify go sneak that shit there. This video is the Tee Pee mix for Dopesmoker.)

Sunn O))) - White Box 2

It is with an epic feeling of chuft-ness I unveil to you the 100th Lines in Wax blog post! What sorcery is this? I have actually stuck something out passed it's initial conception stage! I'm rather proud of what Lines in Wax is slowly becoming, if I'm honest, so I'll take this moment to quickly thank all you readers from around the globe for tuning in and having a gander at my website; if you're a long time reader or just stumbling here by chance through a search engine, it matters not, for you have helped keep this site going well passed the 4000 hits mark - a humble amount but something I never considered possible. Knowing that someone, somewhere out there is actually reading this shit makes it all worth while. Thanks, and prepare yourself for more shit talking, as today's post is more metal that a hundred million ball bearings rolling down the world's tallest fire escape. 

(2020 update: I'm in the process of bringing all the previous archived reviews up to scratch and I was mortified to find that my massive collection of pictures of this release have been fuckered in the internet-ether by Photobucket. Thanks pricks!)

This here expensive lump of pretentiousness is one of my all time favourite record packages, and is my most expensive purchase to date. I won't tell you how much it costs, as I'm sure if you've stumbled across this page you are more than likely aware of it's collectability, but shit, it wasn't fucking cheap! So before we begin, let me tell you a little more about the White Box.

White Box was original released as White, a 4 x 12" set compiling both the White1 and White2 albums. It was packaged in a White box with a hand developed photo stuck to the front, and was limited to either 450 or 500 copies; there is only contrasting information existing regarding this. Then, White was re-released in a limited run of 100 copies with alternate artwork for Sunn O)))'s European tour of 2006. This version is far superior, featuring the original White1 and White2 spread across 4 x 12" (including a picture disc), whilst also including the Candlewolf Of The Golden Chalice EP (a Peel session) as well a live CD album entitled Live White. Phew! I have number 21/100 (sold as of 2014 - Ed, 2019).

White1 in my opinion, is superior to White2. Julian Cope's contribution to the 25 minute long epic "My Wall" pretty much envelopes the entire release, and when I think of White in any way shape or form, the phrase "meddlesome, meddlesome bells" always comes to mind. I am not sure if his "poetry" is improvised or not, because it strains to remain in structure during certain points. It adds a fresh dimension to Sunn O)))'s sound that has yet to be surpassed, even by Attila's grandiosely epic throatsinging antics.

Candlewolf of the Golden Chalice is a much more necro affair, being a live recording by John Peel (R.I.P.) in the BBC Studios. Unfortunately this recording is missing what the online "Peel Session" bootlegs opens with; John Peel himself hilariously trying to describe Sunn O)))'s sound to his listeners. Imagine tuning into Radio 1 half way through Sunn O))) droning? The uninitiated would more than likely think that was nothing more than some funky sounding radio static. Also, Candlewolf plays exactly the same on both sides of the wax, which is a shame. With the insane artsy fartsyness of this package, a nice etching could easily have replaced side B.

All that is left in the bottom of the box is the pathetic-in-comparison CD version of LiveWhite, and a little card which is basically a White Box Owner's Club card. If you want, you can take it to gigs and flaunt it to other silly beret wearing hipsters. That is, if you can bring yourself to open your mint version of this record in the first place ;)

Boris - Japanese Heavy Rock Hits V2

It never fails to amaze me how a band so steeped in history of abstract experimentation and drone can have so many rock ‘n’ roll influences. I guess comparing this record to say, the bands experimental collaborations with the likes of Merzbow or Keiji Haino can only solidify the fact that they are currently one of the most diverse acts out there at the moment. It’s time for Boris to do some rock ‘n’ roll. Boom, in 2009 a series of 7” EPs on Southern Lord records suddenly materialises.

What I have here is volume 2 that I picked up off the Relapse store fairly cheap last Christmas. You need to consider who we are dealing with here; this is far from “straight up” rock of old, there is plenty of that influence here, but if Boris just rehashed that then it wouldn’t be Boris. What we have here is a bizarre mix of rock riffs, almost industrial feeling drums and wailing vocals over ambient and electronic passages, all mangled together into an awkward symphony.

Side b is far more poppy, leaning more towards genres such as electronica and synth pop. Screechy guitarwork mixes with cool electronic beats and laid back bass. Japanese lyrics breeze lightly over the top of the whole thing, completing the insane puzzle. It sounds intrusive, but it really isn’t. If you have never heard Boris, I guess this is a good a place to start as anywhere.