31 Days Of Halloween Albums – Day 3

Mike Patton has been a musician that I’ve been following for the better part of my life. From the days of Mr.Bungle and Faith No More to his operatic Italian albums and film work as creature noise generator, very little of his material has disappointed me. Many friends have deemed me a “fanboy” over the years but frankly his body of material is so vast and varied that if someone can’t appreciate it on some level there must be something seriously wrong with their tastes. As a friendship eliminator, not liking Patton is the equivalent of “not getting” Evil Dead 2.

Fantomas: The Director’s Cut – (2001)

So what do you get when you mix the adventurous vocal insanity that is Mike Patton with two members of the Melvins and the drummer of Slayer? Absolute carnage. The Director’s Cut is oddly the most refined and streamlined that this band would ever sound and this is partially due to the theme of the record itself. Every song on this album is based off a film theme or something similar. What it includes is a monstrously frantic and oftentimes insane collection of songs. Some, like The Godfather aren’t even taken from horror films. With the combined efforts of this powerful group they quickly become absolutely gnarled renditions of their source materials. It is a trip.

Among my absolute favorites on this collection is the retelling of the Jewish folklore legend The Golem. Though, this adaptation is more likely taken from the partially lost 1915 German film entitled The Golem or Der Golem as it appears here. As I’ve said in previous writings, I’m a giant sucker for all things old, black and white and horror. The way Patton recreates the pained sound of the clay abomination is nothing short of brilliant and the outro played frenetically by the band is disturbing and abrupt. Every song on this thing was carefully crafted and thrilling. With expert musicians such as these it is no surprise that this is inventive, raw and on point.

There is just no way of explaining how mind blowing this entire album is. It is more than a self-obsessed group of musicians combining forces to make a few bucks, I’m looking at you every band from the oughts who partnered up to sell a hit single. At times the guitar work of Buzz Osborne is virtually unidentifiable. This isn’t one of the Melvin’s spin-off bands nor is this Mr.Bungle Sr. or Faith With More. I have zero nit-picks to contribute to this fanboy recommendation. Just grab yourself a copy and listen to it loud on this unholiest of months. Or, as an official copy is getting expensive these days, stream it. The Godfather has never sounded so frightening. Well, the third Godfather film still exists so maybe that’s not true. Might I suggest The Omen instead?

FM : Black Noise (1977)

Late: =Doing something or taking place after the expected, proper, or usual time.

So, THAT’S what black noise looks like. Who knew? FM did, that’s who.

By 1977 the creative well of interesting, self indulgent, experimental bands had pretty much been tapped dry. Yes were on the brink of completely reinventing their sound, Crimson were on an indefinite hiatus and Rush began writing shorter songs with a heavier focus on keyboards.

FM were the band no one asked for and with a bizarre inception story it is a wonder how they gained any exposure at all. I, for one am glad they did as Black Noise is a fantastic, forward thinking album that is way of its time in a lot of ways.

Bred from Ontario Canada’s bleak musical landscapes, FM rose to moderate fame after an appearance on a television show. At first, the album was only available through mail order. The most common version, pictured here is a reissue.

What makes this album so interesting are the musicians and the instruments they use. A plethora of different electronic toys are present here but absence of a guitar player makes it a unique listen. Bass, keyboards and electric violin are the core sounds with the addition of various percussion techniques. Nash the Slash performs the violins, mandolin and a wide variety of effects while garbed in facial bandages. What began as a political and social statement would later become his trademark and probably added to a little bit of the band’s small following at the time. Although, the band didn’t receive attention until he was no longer a member.

Before the mummy bandages, Nash was just a guy. Y’know? Like you and I.

Black Noise starts out with the grating, dime a dozen pop number Phasors On Stun but, trust me, it gets better. The latter half of side A and the majority of the flip side delve into some truly unusual territory. Slaughter In Robot Village is a standout here with a sound as oddly compelling and unique as the name. Deller’s drumming here is absolutely superb. Aldebaran follows with an intro reminiscent of the first song, Phasors On Stun but what it transforms into is much more interesting. The phantasmagoria of sounds after the first verse are awe inspiring and prove that it doesn’t take a 14 minute song to take a listener on a journey. Finishing the B side is the tremendously performed title track. Complete with haunting vocal harmonies it culminates to something of a musical masterpiece that gracefully peters out into an ambient landscape of textures before returning to finish the listener off. This side of the record dominates. It is as good or better than anything of its style or era.

This record has some subjective flaws. The radio hits are a bit too canned and similar to what was popular at the time. I don’t fault FM for it. As a band from Canada they needed any attention they could get. If you can forgive and forget these small missteps, Black Noise is an underrated classic that breaks enough musical conventions to be a true classic. Its release was better late than never.

Track List:

Phasors On Stun
One O’Clock Tomorrow
Hours
Journey
Dialing For Dharma
Slaughter In Robot Village
Aldebaran
Black Noise

Fjorsvartnir (Wax Wishes)

This is a new segment where I would like to document great albums only available via download or CD.

The first of these will be focused on Fjorsvartnir, a one man project helmed by Denmark native Fjorgynn. Founded in 2007, Fjorsvartnir currently have 2 full length albums and one demo under their belt. They are one of the most authentic heavy bands I’ve heard in well over a decade. Today I’ll be focusing on his two full length albums: Legions of the North and Mzoraxc’ Forbandelse. I’m skipping the demos but they are also no slouches. I’ve decided to focus mainly on his main bodies of work.

Each album image is taken directly from the official Fjorsvartnir website and has a direct link underneath. He is easily found on YouTube and I highly recommend supporting him by purchasing his music either digitally or on CD. I own the downloaded versions of his albums and a vinyl pressing of Legions Of The North that hasn’t been legally distributed. I’m hoping that this new “Wax Wishes” segment will garner enough deserved attention on some of these artists in hopes for them to build enough fans to produce more vinyl records. I don’t buy CDs because plastic is lame but mostly due to not having a proper disc player set up in my house. Vinyl is my vice but I realize that I’d be limiting myself by not discussing some of the more interesting albums I’ve heard digitally. So, without further ado we have:

Legions Of The North (2012)

https://fjorsvartnir.bandcamp.com/music

This album starts with an atmospheric instrumental primarily led by haunting keys that eventually turn into a wonderfully melodic guitar groove. What follows is a behemoth of title track unsurpassed by anything I’ve heard in heavy music in decades. A relentless barrage of harmonized guitars and blasting drums give way to a beautifully performed bridge so beautifully performed that it would have been a sinful waste not to mention here. A dissonant lead guitar swells and accompanies the section so well that it makes the following section feel like you are being hit by a Mad Max truck of villains complete with flaming axes. The drums are expertly performed and are played on a real kit as opposed to a computer program. Every single element in this song is brilliant. It is long but remains captivating as new ideas and riffs are introduced seemingly at every moment. The return of the vocals after minutes of instrumental perfection hit so viscerally that it almost paralyzes.

The album has only begun and without drivelling on about each song I’ll say that it stays on course without dipping in quality after the majestic title track. There are sections in each song that truly amaze. Usually these occur during instrumental breaks and other experimental sections but each of these differ so much in style that it is always a surprise. Every song remains engaging regardless of their lengths. The breakdowns in Levende Begravet and True Elite are prime examples of how impressive these compositions are and how limitless Fjorsvartnir are in experimenting with sounds. All of the instruments are played well and the production is warm, airy and nearly professional sounding. Again, I could ramble all day but every single component works perfectly including the passionately delivered vocals. His voice ranges from guttural barks to spine shattered screams so seamlessly and fluidly. They cut through the music like a Viking’s spear through an enemy’s throat. This is great stuff that deserves much more attention than it receives. A must have for any fans of extreme heaviness.

Track List:

Begyndelsen
Legions Of The North
Levende Begravet
Nat Og Dag
True Elite
Den Sidste Rejse

Mzoraxc’ Forbandelse (2015)

https://fjorsvartnir.bandcamp.com/music

Three years after the release of Legions Of The North we were given the much anticipated followup, Mzoraxc’ Forbandelse. Like its predecessor it begins with an ethereal, slow and gripping introduction but this time around it opens up into a full song. It starts so melodically that one could wonder if the gritty teeth present on the prior album had been left behind to gain wider appeal but, no. This opening track starts to build teasingly until it becomes a menacing behemoth. My favourite aspect to this song, in particular is how the vocals almost shyly deliver the opening lines. Things build, the acoustic guitars begin to wane and the vocals begin to get darker. In the end we are left with a lingering scream before the merciless bludgeoning of Nordens Genopstandelse.

I could create an entire blog post relating to Nordens Genopstandelse so how about you just stop reading now and check it out for yourself. The song is pure, unadulterated head-banging perfection. Boom!

Fjorsvartnir’s more melodic side comes to the surface with the latter half of this record. After the instrumental break of Riget, there is a miniature conceptual arc that feels like one longer song broken up into segments. I think this all works very well and the piano melody that bridges it together is a great addition. One thing consistent on both of these albums is how great the sequencing is. Each song flows from one to the next with expert finesse. It flows like a well edited film or a well crafted story.

Mzoraxc’ Forbandelse is another top tier album that I can’t recommend enough. The production is clearer and finer tuned than his previous entries, for better or for worse. Part of me prefers the gritty, unbalanced segments of his earlier material but credit should be given for the fine level of production crafted here. Overall, it is another masterpiece of heavy music that is the epitome of “underrated.”
Hopefully if we all spread the word and support this Denmark native he will continue to create amazing music and be able to put more records into production. I look forward to the next Fjorsvartnir. 2012 and 2015 were made better years in music because of these excellent albums.

Track List:

Ravneskrig og Ulvehyl
Nordens Genopstandelse
En Rejse Igennem Fortidens Riger
Riget
Mzoraxc – Mødet Med Underverdenen
Krigssat
Det Sidste Slag
Valkyrie