Farewell TMO

After five months of employment, I have tendered my resignation from my post as a reviewer for The Metal Observer. Now that I’m back at UMaine, I have too many priorities, namely advancing my education. As much as I enjoy reviewing music, that desire is not as great as the number of albums I have to review. As for this site, I will continue to review albums here and there, but no longer will they be syndicated TMO reviews. They will be completely under my own duress. And if I cannot commit to that, I do promise a “Best Black Metal Albums of 2008″ list as I did for ‘07 (the ‘07 list is the most searched-for topic I’ve covered here).

It was a diplomatic and friendly parting with Alex, the co-chief of TMO, and I wish him, Valerie, and all the staff the best as they renovate the site and continue their work to promote the Metal underground. Ave atque vale!

P.H.O.B.O.S. – “Anoedipal”

Published by The Metal Observer: http://www.metal-observer.com/articles.php?lid=1&sid=1&id=15068

Son of the war god Ares, “Phobos” was to the ancient Greeks the substantiation of fear. Phobos, the French industrial Doom Metal band, attempts to translate this term into music. Anoedipal is more a straightforward, brooding mass than a landscape of subtle ambience. What attitude you bring to it determines how seriously you take the fearful concept this band’s moniker implies. Imagine if Blut Aus Nord took all the blast beats out of The Work Which Transforms God, and then put Kreator’s Mille Petrozza on vocals. What you’re left with is a mechanized leviathan of synthesized percussion hammering away within an ocean of static dissonance. What you get in return is a vocalist who, while not hiding in the background, forms the biological component of an H.R. Giger painting. In fact I’ll go as far as calling this music the most appropriate soundtrack for viewing Giger’s works. For it is dark, mechanical and disturbingly alien. The listener must be patient with this album to make sense of the slow, seemingly unorganized patterns of riffs raining down like volcanic ash. “Hans & Horses” is an immediate crowd pleaser with its main riff, but that alone is not worth the whole album. Nor will focusing on any particular instrument allow you to see the bigger picture. Atmosphere above, deep distortion below, with a wash of mechanical sounds and snarls in between form a product greater than the sum of its components. Though patience is the virtue most rewarded by Anoedipal, it could have been shorter, so as to match the attention span of most prospective listeners. Fans of later Blut Aus Nord, atmospheric and/or industrial music, or just unconventional music in general should get much enjoyment out of this album. But don’t let the appellation scare you away, for this album is more provocative of thoughts than of fears. But you’d rather be terrified, check out subtler acts like Spektr. ( Online October 3, 2008 )

Anal Jesus @ The Workers Center, Brewer ME

On Friday, September 26th I finally got my chance to see the band whose moniker is more a play on the word “analgesic” than any religious perversion. They were the only Metal band among the handful of punk acts playing that night, and even to a crowd of mohawks and skin-tight denim they delivered a thoroughly exciting act. The venue, a meeting hall serving Eastern Maine labor unions, was a very intimate setting for a performance worthy of the concert stage. 

Backed by Jeremy Pyburn on drums, Jared Pittman on bass, and James Hadley filling in on guitars, lead guitarist/vocalist Ryan Page lifted his mask of sanity and took no prisoners. As the first act of the night, they opened with their minute-long classic, “Grindhole” and the crowd immediately went into a frenzy. Following was “The Slayer Song,” reminiscing of Slayer’s golden days with a riff similar to the song “Jesus Saves” (“Anal Jesus Saves?”). With each song the headbangability intensified, culminating in their most personal track, “Restraining Order.” For this opus Ryan laid his guitar aside and put 100% of his energy into making sure he couldn’t talk for the next week.

What impressed me the most however, was the fact that Anal Jesus played TWICE in one night, filling in the space between Taco Apocalypse and Clinic Bomb, two powerful punk acts fronted by Ryan’s good friend, Shane Garland.

But even a second set wasn’t enough to satisfy Ryan’s bloodthirst. Pulling together a makeshift syndicate from his friends’ bands, he played an electrifying rendition of a real Slayer song, “Raining Blood” (from a lacerated sky, bleeding its horror, etc…). 

And did I mention this was a reunion show? That’s right, the high schoolers bitching about life in New Hampshire are back in action, so hopefully the future will see more performances by this kickass slab of Northern New England Metal.