Man, Tompa died. So let’s listen to some At the Gates. Listened to this a lot as a teenager. And it’s still so good. RIP.

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More Converge, more betterer! Certainly one of my favourite discoveries in recent years. While I enjoy everyone here, it’s again Ben Koller’s drumming and Nate Newton’s bass playing that fascinate me most. Just listen to that groovy drum rhythm, together with the rather calm bass in “All we love we leave behind”, or this insane drum fill in “Veins and Veils” (again, with a great bass riff). Putting a ride symbol in there like this makes me absolutely addicted, and makes me happy for days.

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Just so much great riffing going on in this collection of fantastic songs. They have enough non-4/4-parts and tempo changes to make it interesting without making it hard to follow. There are some tasty guitar solos, too. “Drill the Skull” is my favourite, with this insanely awesome middle section.

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This was my entry album into Russian Circles. And it’s still my favourite, probably because of being my first. We saw them on tour back then in Auckland, NZ. And I still remember how that end part of “309” blew me away: first that drum beat, and then this thunderous bass. So heavy! And even better live.

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I’ve had this album on my radar already. But it needed their fantastic live gig at this year’s Rock Hard festival to remind me to give it another listen. And I missed out! Great melodies, all the instruments deserve being listened to, and above all is this great emotional voice.

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Amenra does an acoustic guitar cover version of maybe my favourite Portishead song. So good! Love how the guitar is recorded and you hear all sorts of background sounds, as well as the player doing the percussion probably live while playing guitar.

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Great riffs, powerful vocals, raw sound, and all killers no fillers. Thrash!!!

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For some reason, this is the album from their discography that I had been drawn to first. And I absolutely love it!

Converge were so impressive live a few weeks back, I had to get more into them. And it’s absolutly rewarding once you do. So many interesting ideas and songs on this album. Plus the musicianship is top notch. And that sound!

The whole thing is so damn heavy! And in a different way than I’m used to from - say - Death Metal. A ferocious steamroller.

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Their new album. This band really became a favourite during the last year or so. This output again immediately puts a smile on my face. So much fun playing and singing going on. An authentic sound. So good. Need to see them live!

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For some reason I wanted to listen to this classic a while back. Still regularly putting this on.

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It’s not far from Mutoid Man to Converge. And then their latest album is a collaboration with Chelsea Wolfe!? Sign me up! This seems to be atypical, but I like this a lot. A great album front to back!

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Saw them a few weeks back here at the small Pitcher. And they absolutely ruled. Now bullshit, just four dudes playing their asses off. Have been listening to this album ever since.

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As I noted once before, I really like this album, and especially Joe Haley’s guitar playing. But this also has great drumming, bass playing and vocals. All delivered with a heavy and clear sound. Also, look at that cover!

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Liking this album right now.

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Mutoid Man are wild: wild drumming, wild bass playing, wild guitar, wild vocals. All very skillfully played in these short and entertaining arrangements.

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Weekend-album.

I simply picked one Darkthrone album, as I‘m not very familiar with their discography. And this one has been virtually rotating here for a couple of spins. „The Claws of Time“ is so classic Black Metal: starts with this evil tremolo-picking melody, then the vocals come in… ahhh….pure black gold!

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When listening to Baroness, I tend to pick this album. Love the drumming and odd rhythms on it. Great guitar work, too, of course. „Chlorine & Wine“ is probably my favourite song of them.

Preparation for tomorrow’s concert.

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Here‘s one more female-fronted band, I‘m currently enjoying. Like these songs, like their sound, like her vocals (which do sound quite a bit like Björk).

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