Have you ever listened to an album and been utterly confused as what they were supposed to be or what they were trying to do, or simply just it was in general? Well, that just happened to me as I was listening to the album
Crystals by a band called Eskimo Callboy. Granted, I was wondering “What?” just based on the band name. What does that even mean? I don’t know, I am not sure I want to know, and ultimately don’t think it really matters. The music, on the other hand, just leaves me shaking my head. I do not like it, but it is rather infectious.
I remember when my music tastes were beginning to expand beyond glam metal and grunge in the early-90’s, I felt encouraged to try stuff based on cover art. You remember, back in the day when you could go to a music or movie store and browse stuff, there really is no better way to find some new stuff. Doing this I was turned on to bands like Pantera, Sepultura, Biohazard, and Pro-Pain. I remember listening to that first Pro-Pain album, The Foul Taste of Freedom. That was a pretty solid album and certainly a little different than I was used to, not being much of a punk or hardcore fan. It was also early in the rapping metal days.
Thrash and the classic metal sound, I am convinced will never go away. Just like there are singers and bands keeping the sounds of Sinatra, The Beatles, and others alive, that classic sound of metal pioneered in the 1980’s will never go away. Whether you are talking about acts like Warbringer, 3 Inches of Blood, or the fact that bands like Iron Maiden are still releasing new music, metal will never die. This cannot be in more evidence than when you check out recent releases from bands like Ranger, or this new one from thrashers Enforcer. From the old school cover art and logo to the execution of the sound, be ready to put your horns up high.
Over the years, I have listened to my fair share of strange music. You know, the stuff that exists outside the mainstream and could be termed a little eclectic. I would include acts like Mr. Bungle, Secret Chiefs III, My Own Private Alaska, and some of Les Claypool’s projects among them. I now have another one to add to the mix, Native Construct. This is not a bad thing. There is something to be said about those who experiment outside of the usual some structure and try to create something new and different. Native Construct is certainly different, and I think I kind of like it.
My journey through the musical landscape has been a strange one, not unlike my cinematic journey. They both began late, did not have a lot of outside guidance and required a lot of floundering around by me. To that end, my discovery of certain bands and styles has been roundabout to say the least. My experience is vastly different than that of many of my friends. I am not sure if that is good or bad. In any case, one of the recent albums to cross my desk is the debut full length from Ranger, a modern throwback.
Every once in a while you stumble across an artist that changes your world. That happened to me some years back when I discovered Goblin. There is something about there music that is downright beautiful, entrancing, mesmerizing, you name it. I can pretty much listen to them at any time and be a happy man. My go to album has always been one of their Best Of type collections, but throw on Suspiria, Contamination, Profondo Rosso, pretty much any of them and I am good to go. Now I have another one in the mix.
Every once in awhile I come across an album that keeps me enamored with it in such a way that I can listen to it over and over all day and not get bored. It doesn't happen often. It happened with Warren Zevon's Genius greatest hits collection and with Mike Patton's Mondo Cane, there was also the soundtrack album for Once. Now it has happened with Michale Graves' Illusions Live/Viretta Park. A live album, no less! That's a first. There is something about this album that is just completely entrancing. It sucks me in and refuses to let go. 
I don't remember just how old I was, but I know I was young. I was not much of a music fan yet, but I had inherited an old receiver and turntable from my father and was listening to some of his old records. Among the stacks I uncovered Black Sabbath's Paranoid. It was unlike anything I had ever heard before and I listened to it over and over again. I remember listening to "Electric Funeral" incessantly. I would later learn the importance of this band and these early recordings. Now, we have new music from these legendary creators of doom.
Recent weeks have seen me exploring a few of the doom metal artists I have in my collection that I am not have listened too all that much. I have discovered that I quite enjoy the style they offer and am seeking more. One of the artists I stumbled across was Satan's Wrath, whose debut album, Galloping Blasphemy. arrived last September via Metal Blade. I have to say, while this may not be a groundbreaking release, it certain, is a captivating one that has plenty to offer the metal fan's ear. 
As I think back on my youth, I was not someone you would have called a music fan. There were hints that I might be headed in the general direction, but nothing terribly solid to point to. Still, there were a few albums (or cassettes as the case may be) that made their way into my possession that really clicked with me and have remained important landmarks in my development as a music fan. One of those albums was Kick by INXS. If pressed, I could give you a quick reason, but there was something about it that spoke to me. It remains a favorite today.
Nitro's O.F.R. Has to be one of the craziest metal release I heard in the late 80's. Granted, most of the stuff I was listening to at the time was hair metal, I had yet to really make the jump to truly heavy stuff. Anyway, there is something about this album that I really like. There was a time when I would sit and listen in awe to this. It really jus blew me away. These days I recognize it more for what it is rather than what I nought it was twenty some odd years ago. I still like it and certainly get a kick out of it, but the perspective is different. 
With Cannibal Corpse, what you see is what you get. When it comes to these behemoth's of crushing death metal, there is no subtlety and zero subtext to their music. I only had my official introduction to them with their last album, Evisceration Plague, and I am wondering just what I can say about them that hasn't already been said. Seriously, when you pick up Torture, you have to know what you are getting yourself into.
I must admit, Job for a Cowboy is not a band I ever paid a lot of attention too. That has been changing since their last release, 2009's Ruination, but they still fell pretty low on the totem poll. In their ninth year of existence, Job for a Cowboy has almost completely turned over their lineup. With the impending release of their third album they find only original vocalist, Jonny Davy, remaining. The latest additions are Tony Sannicandro on guitar and Nick Schendzielos (formerly of Cephalic Carnage) on bass. Now, I have to admit, these latest changes are certainly helping to push them in the right direction.