The Killchain Hour: Hail Boris, gods in the east

Having had a good long conversation with my good friend Teo of Italian black metallers Chiral about the merits of my favourite band, Boris, I’ve decided that this week’s Killchain Hour at Live Funeral Radio is my pick of the Japanese noise monsters’ best tracks. My difficulty is that I’m only allowed an hour, so that takes out their magnum opus debut ‘Absolutego’, which clocks in at one song, one hour and two minutes. Shame. Boris were the first band that really made me understand that music is more than just catchy melodies or riffs. Music is, at its core, the manipulation of sound.’Absolutego’ blew my mind the first time I heard it. Most of it is wailing feedback and distorted riffs that move at a snail’s pace. But it is inherently music, taken to extremes of sound.

Their yoyo-ing between experimental lower case boris, who specialise in howling drone doom and sludgy noise, and capital letters BORIS, who are all about raging stoner rock groove, has always kept them interesting and relevant. A new Boris record is never going to be what you expect. And that’s one of their most important features.

Anyhoo, enjoy the riffs!

1. Farewell (from ‘Pink’)
2. Heavy Metal Addict (from ‘Japanese Heavy Rock Hits Vol.2’)
3. Heavy Friends (from ‘Heavy Rocks’)
4. Rafflesia (feat. Michio Kurihara) (from ‘Rainbow’)
5. The Evil One Which Sobs (from ‘Dronevil Disc 2’)
6. Ibitsu (from ‘Akuma No Uta’)
7. Pink (from ‘Pink’)
8. Feedbacker (Part 3) (from ‘At Last: Feedbacker’)
9. Statement (from ‘Smile’)

Listen here: http://livefuneral.caster.fm 10pm GMT, Tuesday nights

Killchain Hour: Solution to a long weekend

Well, what a busy weekend I’ve had. and to commerorate such a weekend, my Killchain list this week is just pure fucking metal. I put it together in about 10 minutes, knowing instinctively what I needed: some serious metal. Behold, and listen in Tuesdays at 10pm GMT!

1. Krohm – Bleak Shores
2. Suffocation – Pierced from Within
3. Sodom – Hellfire
4. Slaughter Throne – Baptizo de Sanguis
5. Fleshgod Apocalypse – Elegy
6. Exciter – Heavy Metal Maniac
7. Eternal Spell – Forces of Occult
8. Jungle Rot – I Am Hatred
9. Slow Plague – Slow Death
10. The Angelic Process – Weighing Souls With Sand
11. D.R.I. – Hooked
12. Angelfuck – Mangled
13. Teitanblood – Seven Chalices of Vomit and Blood
14. Cyaegha – Ulthar’s Decree

Listen here: http://livefuneral.caster.fm

The Killchain Hour: Promoting the Best

Tuesday night’s playlist is another one inspired by all these wonderful bands I’ve experienced with my reviewing work. I’m starting to build up this great portfolio of reviews thanks to the PR companies that contact me to review. So far there’s been none that I haven’t enjoyed, so long may that continue! Also I’m plugging two records this week particularly for some friends of mine, first British death metal brilliance in Austerymn and Finnish crust punk Vinoristi!

1. Agos – Akkadian Cenotaph
2. Agonie – Aufgelost in Wohlgefallen
3. Funerary Bell – In Eleanor’s Garden
4. Malphas – Occult Propaganda
5. Skyforger – Senprusija
6. Plage – Chained by Flesh
7. Aion – IV
8. Ashbringer – With Vacant Eyes
9. Austerymn – Darkness Burns Forever
10. Vinoristi – Kaupunkini Eramaani
11. Vasomortus – Orgy of Dismemberment

Listen here at 10pm GMT on Tuesday http://livefuneral.caster.fm

The Killchain Hour suffers a Relapse…. 28/04/2015

So, after our mammoth five hour anniversary show on Live Funeral Radio this Sunday night, I got to thinking about my show for Tuesday. Now, we all work hard on our shows for Live Funeral, and we appreciate everyone who listens in. I don’t even know if Kalde wants me telling folk this but we’ve even had positive feedback from guys at Relapse recently about what we’re doing. Fucking Relapse are aware of Live Funeral Radio? Fuck that blows my mind.
So it got me to thinking, this year marks 25 years of Relapse Records as an essential entity in not only the promotion of extreme music but in my own particular evolution. I’ve picked out my playlist this week of tracks from my favourite Relapse artists past and present. May they ever protect the riff…

1. High on Fire – Devilution
2. Cephalic Carnage – Endless Cycle of Violence
3. Red Fang – Prehistoric Dog
4. Baroness – Rays on Pinion
5. Nile – Smashing the Antiu
6. Burst – Where the Wave Broke
7. Incantation – Devour Death
8. Mastodon – March of the Fire Ants
9. Nasum – The Masked Face
10. Windhand – Woodbine
11. Tombs – Beneath the Toxic Jungle
12. Dying Fetus – Insidious Repression
13. Amorphis – Black Winter Day
14. Primate – March of the Curmudgeon
15. Mumakil – I
16. The Dillinger Escape Plan – Setting Fire to Sleeping Giants

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The Killchain Hour: My greatest playlist challenge yet

Well, we’ve tried a bit of a theme at Live Funeral Radio; the alphabet challenge. Playlist made up of 26 bands starting with each of the letters of the alphabet. Matt did it, Elk did it and now its my turn. But I cranked up my challenge. Not only did I have to get the 26 bands, but I got them all from different countries. Why I made it so difficult for myself I will never know, but I did it!

The playlist is built. The challenge has been accepted and accomplished. Behold, Tuesday’s Killchain playlist: 26 bands, ALL beginning with a different letter of the alphabet, in order, ALL from different countries. I’m going for a lie down. Be sure to tune in, 10pm GMT at http://livefuneral.caster.fm

1. Asphyx (Netherlands) – Bloodswamp
2. Blood of Kingu (Ukraine) – Those That Wander Amidst the Stars
3. Celtic Frost (Switzerland) – Morbid Tales
4. Daggerspawn (Serbia) – I Am the Thousand Plagues
5. Ektomorf (Hungary) – You Leech
6. Firewind (Greece) – Tyranny
7. Gallhammer (Japan) – Speed of Blood
8. Hour of Penance (Italy) – Enlightened Submission
9. Inquisition (Colombia) – Baptized in Black Goat Blood
10. Judas Priest (UK) – The Ripper
11. Kreator (Germany) – Endless Pain
12. Legen Beltza (Spain) – Eternal Life
13. Moonspell (Portugal) – Scorpion Flower
14. Negura Bunget (Romania) – Inarborat
15. Opeth (Sweden) – Bleak
16. Portal (Australia) – Illoomorpheme
17. Quo Vadis (Canada) – In Contempt
18. Reverend Bizarre (Finland) – The Devil Rides Out
19. Sepultura (Brazil) – Arise
20. Tyr (Faroe Islands) – Hold the Heathen Hammer High
21. Ulver (Norway) – Hymne IV: Wolf and Man
22. Vader (Poland) – Lead Us!!!
23. Wormrot (Singapore) – Born Stupid
24. Xasthur (USA) – Purgatory Spiral
25. Yyrkoon (France) – The Book
26. Zombiefication (Mexico) – Broken Gravestone

The Killchain Radio Hour: Night falls in Middle Earth

I’m reading Lord of the Rings again. This is probably the 15th time at least that I’ve read it since the first time I picked it up as a kid. I like to read it once a year if I can, not only because it is a masterpiece of storytelling and world/mythology creation, but there is a huge link between Tolkien’s work and heavy metal in general. Bands, song titles, album titles; so many inspired directly or indirectly by the works of J.R.R, so I’ve built a playlist based upon bands that have some link to his works. I don’t normally do this, but each song can get a brief explanation for those who may be a bit confused about some of the links:

1. Blind Guardian – Lord of the Rings: no explanation needed here surely. I couldn’t miss the world’s best power metal bands, especially since their Tolkien obsession led them to write their best album based on Tolkien’s most impenetrable book, The Simarillion.

2. Amon Amarth – Amon Amarth: An alternate name for Mount Doom, the fire that forged the One Ring.

3. Burzum – Ea, Lord of the Depths: Burzum is the word for ‘darkness’ in the Black Speech of Mordor. It is found engraved on the Ruling Ring.

4. Gorgoroth – Gorgoroth: A vast, dead plain within Mordor

5. Cirith Ungol – The Troll: Cirith Ungol is the pass into Mordor where Shelob lives

6. Morgoth – Unreal Imagination: Morgoth is the Great Enemy, Sauron’s boss and the creator of all evil in Middle Earth

7. Led Zeppelin – Misty Mountain Hop: The Misty Mountains are probably the most famous range in the Tolkien works, and this is a rocking song!

8. Isengard – Dark Lord of Gorgoroth: Covers two bases by mentionion Gorgoroth again and Isengard being the home of Saruman the wizard

9. Balrog – Nazgul Warlord: A Balrog was the massive beast of fire and flame that fights Gandalf in Moria

10. Nazgul – In Summis Montibus: The Nazgul were the 9 Ringwraiths sent by Sauron to find the Ring

11. Nightwish – The Elvenpath: Contains samples from the animated Lord of the Rings movie, as well as referencing elves and Bilbo Baggins

12. Orange Goblin – Saruman’s Wish: Saruman being the traitorous white wizard

13. Three Inches of Blood – Destroy the Orcs: A kick ass song about destroying orcs

14. Ephel Duath – Vector, Third Movement: Ephel Duath is a mountain range on the West and South of Mordor. It means ‘Fence of Shadow’

So there we have it, a bit of everything and all mixed in with the heady goodness of dwarves, elves, men and wizards. Oh, and lots of unspeakable evil!

The Killchain Hour: 10/02 and 17/02

This week and next on the Killchain Hour at Live Funeral Radio is a bit strange because they’ve been built in tandem. Normally I build the playlists in a single session, usually on the Monday night while listening to my iTunes, getting ideas. We’ve been discussing some theme nights between the hosts, such as the German thrash night I did, or the Swedish night that Steve did on Friday there. There’s talks about having a Lemmy tribute night sometime soon which would be excellent, and also some covers shows. I’m doing covers next week, and have already assembled the list in advance. It’s got some killer tunes, but I won’t spoil it yet.

This week’s (ie tomorrow night) is basically the usual rifftastic hour, full of great songs from all genres. I’ve included a new local favourite in Censored that I reviewed the other day. I stuck in probably my favourite Nile song, even though it takes up a full 6th of the hour. There’s also some excellent old school power and thrash, along with a bit of new brutality from something I’m reviewing for Sleeping Shaman. I’ll post the playlist on my Facebook tonight. Enjoy, 10pm GMT

http://livefuneral.caster.fm

The Killchain Presents: Obscure German Thrash night

The 3rd of February’s Killchain Hour on Live Funeral Radio is brought, by way of a conversation with one of the fellow hosts, to you by the power of German thrash. Germans do thrash very well; arguably America’s Big Four are easily matched (and sometimes bettered) by the Teutonic Three. In fact, you’re more likely to find me listening to Kreator, Sodom or Destruction these days when it comes to fulfil a need for some serious necksnapping action.

But, a confession for me first. A long time ago, on an internet connection far far away, I torrented a MASSIVE file of German thrash records. I know, it was terrible of me. But this was before pretty much any ancient metal record was available on streaming sites or YouTube. A lot of these records are now long out of print and almost impossible to get a hold of in any form now, but that’s not to say I haven’t tried! Anyway, this is where my thing for German thrash came from. There were so many late 80s bands doing thrash fantastically well, and most have disappeared. So I’m doing a thrash revival night for our Germanic friends on the Killchain Hour. Cause who brings better riffs than German thrashers anyway!?

Check out the playlist on Live Funeral Radio’s Facebook page, and tune in at 10pm GMT to get thrashed.

http://livefuneral.caster.fm

 

The Killchain Hour: Electric Fuckin’ Wizard

Tomorrow night on the Killchain Hour at Live Funeral Radio, I’ve decided to do something a little different from normal. As you all know, the Killchain has always been about the riff. In search of the most headcaving riffs carved from stone and powered by the thunder of the earth. So I’ve decided to dedicate tomorrow’s show to the masters of the riff, Electric Wizard.

If ever you need a riff born of the void, capable of turning planets into dust with its crushing power, you need Jus Osborn and the Wizard in your life. I can’t think of a band that encapsulates what the Killchain is about more than this. I scoured out my eight favourite Electric Wizard songs and present them to you, the listening public, as the Killchain Hour. Prepare to be slowly crushed to death by the force of the void. May we all reside in Funeralopolis…

1. Return Trip

2. Legalise Drugs and Murder

3. Stone Magnet

4. The Nightchild

5. The Outsider

6. Dunwich

7. Funeral of Your Mind

8. Funeralopolis

Listen here from 10pm GMT