This is a day for album reviews at NCS. We started with Andy’s SYNN REPORT on V.A.S.T., and a couple more are on the way. But I thought I’d mix things up a bit by posting two videos before the next review appears. These are not new, but they made this grey Seattle day brighter for me, and I thought they might brighten your day, too, unless you’ve already been staring at the sun, in which case I guess you probably can’t read this. You could get a friend to play the videos and just listen while you get used to your new burned-out retinas.

ASG

Until yesterday I had never heard of this band. I found them through a Facebook link from XII Boar. The link took me to a video for a song called “Horeswhipper”. With a name like that, I had this powerful psychic intuition that I would like it, because in general I like metal that makes me feel like I’m being horsewhipped. And no, I’m not into BDSM, or maybe I am and just don’t realize it.

Anyway, I think maybe one reason I liked it so much is because I had been listening to Borracho, and I think their music re-aligned my neurons into a configuration that increased receptivity to this song. Or it could have been because the song is such a titanic riff-fest, with such attention-riveting dynamics and acidified by punk-like vocal snarls and balls-out attitude. Headbanger heaven. Continue reading »