1989

Still holds up pretty well 22 years later…I dread to think what it would be like if the same magazine did it now though.

How many do YOU own?


Kerrang! 100 Greatest Heavy Metal Albums Of All Time poll from 1989

1. Led Zeppelin - Physical Graffiti
2. Van Halen - Van Halen
3. Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin IV
4. Montrose - Montrose
5. Guns n'Roses - Appetite For Destruction
6. Def Leppard - Hysteria
7. Metallica - Master Of Puppets
8. Jimi Hendrix Experience - Electric Ladyland
9. Aerosmith - Rocks
10. AC/DC - Back In Black
11. Aerosmith - Permanent Vacation
12. Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin II
13. Sex Pistols - Never Mind The Bollocks Here's The Sex Pistols
14. Rainbow - Rising
15. Deep Purple - In Rock
16. Metallica - Ride The Lightning
17. Judas Priest - Sad Wings Of Destiny
18. Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin
19. Def Leppard - Pyromania
20. Aerosmith - Live Bootleg
21. Kiss - Alive
22. Blue Öyster Cult - Secret Treaties
23. Motörhead - No Sleep 'Til Hammersmith
24. Rush - 2112
25. New York Dolls - New York Dolls
26. AC/DC - Powerage
27. Slayer - Reign In Blood
28. UFO - Lights Out
29. Metallica - Kill 'Em All
30. Van Halen - Women And Children First
31. Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath
32. Journey - Escape
33. Legs Diamond - Legs Diamond
34. Queensryche - Operation: Mindcrime
35. Deep Purple - Machine Head
36. Kiss - Destroyer
37. Aerosmith - Draw The Line
38. Meat Loaf - Bat Out Of Hell
39. Black Sabbath - Paranoid
40. Bad Company - Bad Company
41. Jimi Hendrix Experience - Are You Experienced?
42. Metallica - ... And Justice For All
43. Rush - Moving Pictures
44. Bon Jovi - Slippery When Wet
45. Motörhead - Overkill
46. Judas Priest - Screaming For Vengeance
47. UFO - Strangers In The Night
48. Black Sabbath - Vol 4
49. Bryan Adams - Reckless
50. Thin Lizzy - Live And Dangerous
51. Moot The Hoople - Live
52. Aerosmith - Toys In The Attic
53. Black Sabbath - Master Of Reality
54. Bon Jovi - Bon Jovi
55. The Stooges - Funhouse
56. UFO - Obsession
57. Black Sabbath - Sabotage
58. Motörhead - Ace Of Spades
59. Ted Nugent - Ted Nugent
60. Iggy And The Stooges - Raw Power
61. MC5 - Kick Out The Jams
62. Blue Öyster Cult - Agents Of Fortune
63. Angel - Angel
64. Judas Priest - Unleashed In The East
65. Iron Maiden - The Number Of The Beast
66. Def Leppard - High 'n' Dry
67. Van Halen - 1984
68. Magnum - Chase The Dragon
69. Iggy Pop - Instinct
70. David Lee Roth - Eat'em And Smile
71. Thin Lizzy - Thunder And Lightning
72. Blue Öyster Cult - Some Enchanted Evening
73. Judas Priest - Stained Class
74. Alice Cooper - Billion Dollar Babies
75. Deep Purple - Made In Japan
76. Van Halen - Van Halen II
77. Magnum - On A Storyteller's Night
78. Michael Bolton - Everybody's Crazy
79. Black Sabbath - Mob Rules
80. ZZ Top - Eliminator
81. Whitesnake - Ready An' Willing
82. Iron Maiden - Live After Death
83. Boston - Boston
84. Starz - Violation
85. Rush - Rush
86. Anthrax - Spreading The Disease
87. Foghat - Foghat Live
88. Queensryche - Rage For Order
89. David Lee Roth - Skyscraper
90. Mother's Finest - Iron Age
91. Iron Maiden - Iron Maiden
92. Blue Öyster Cult - On Your Feet Or On Your Knees
93. Jimi Hendrix Experience - Smash Hits
94. Starz - Starz
95.Saxon - Wheels Of Steel
96. AC/DC - If You Want Blood - You Got It
97. Uriah Heep - Look At Yourself
98. Queen - A Night At The Opera
99. Iron Maiden - Killers
100. Vinnie Vincent Invasion - Vinnie Vincent Invasion

Playlist of the Week (SJW Edition)

Listening:

BASTIONS "Hospital Corners"
BOSSE-DE-NAGE "II"
BRUTAL TRUTH "Walking Corpse 2112"
THE HEAVY EYES "Heavy Eyes"
LOW "C'mon"
METALLICA "2011.12.07 San Francisco (Night #2)"
ORANSSI PAZUZU "Kosmonument"
U.S. CHRISTMAS "Run Thick In The Night"

Watching:

A Charlie Brown Christmas
Black Mirror (Episode 3 "The Entire History of You")
Louis C.K. - Live at the Beacon Theatre

Suicide Rex

Our favourite Northerners (real Northerns that is) BLACK SUN are back with a new track! Suicide Rex is the name of their new demo and here it is for you to check out. Thee Claw has been in love with the twisted sounds of the BS vibe since forever now, we wish for the same feeling of delight to be instilled within each and every one of our readers. And now it can, just click on the following link!

X

Ten years since "Evil Chuck" Schuldiner passed away...ten years.
That's a whole generation that didn't get to see him play live, a whole generation who didn't get to feel the anticipation of waiting for a new Death/Control Denied album.
Imagine the progression extreme metal guitar may have experienced had he been with us a decade longer.

We miss you, Chuck.

Exclusive: BLACK MAGICIAN

Thee Claw presents an entire set (over 30 minutes in total) from Liverpool-based doom merchants Black Magician.

Recorded in near darkness at a gig in their home town on 3rd Dec 2011.

Vocals - Liam Yates
Guitar - Kyle Nesbitt
Bass - Kabir D'silva
Keyboards - Matt Ford
Drums - Jay Plested

http://www.facebook.com/Blackmagiciandoom

Enjoy.







Trivia: This show took place at the exact same time and date as doom legends Cathedral played their final show in London.

Ride the tiger

It was with a heavy heart this week that we read of the closure of one of Liverpool's live venues, The Masque on Seel Street in the city centre.

A unique (at least in Liverpool) venue with a bar capable of holding gigs, a 600 capacity "theatre" with banked standing area and balcony and a loft which was also an amazing area to watch bands.

We've seen many awesome shows there over the years, standouts thy vine to mind being Orange Goblin in the loft, Galhammer and Sontaran Experiment in the theatre, back up to the loft for General Surgery, a triumphant return to Liverpool by Deicide in a packed whirlwind of a show in the theatre, which we had to watch teetering on the edge of a step in the balcony such was the madness down the front. Our very own Skum played there a few times in his old band, and it will be sorelyissed.

In recent times it had become home to Merseyside based promoters Whiplash, whose tireless work brought back the underground feel Liverpool had during the early nineties when all the underground greats came through the city playing venues like the Flying Picket, the Royal Court Basement Bar and Planet X.

It seems the venue was owned by the group in charge of (amongst other things) the Jacaranda club (where the Beatles first played) and that closed earlier this month, and the rest of the properties have collapsed "like a house of cards" as one report put it earlier this week.

I'm sure that there are people involved in the wider metal community who wish Sal and everyone else involved with Whiplash Promotions all the best fortune in finding a new home, and watch this space, we'll keep you updated.

Exclusive: Cruel Force Photoset (Live Evil 2011)

Here's a few of the photos we got of the mighty German rockers CRUEL FORCE during their set at Live Evil Fest in Camden Town London last month. The crowd went wild for their black thrash stylings, and we can't blame em for that! Their new record "Under The Sign Of The Moon" is certainly a piece of work. Be sure to check it out if you get a chance!

Further concert photos to be made available from us right here on this page soon, for our thrasher brethren worldwide.
Stay tuned!

HAIL! Taxi!!!

Happy birthday to Kirk Hammett of Exodus.
Your antics in "A Year and a Half in the Life of…" have kept us amused for many years, as have your slightly skewiff onstage noodlings.
You are our least disliked member of Metallica, put your feet up and get the kids to do the dishes today.

Happy Birthday.

Exclusive: Ravens Creed at Live Evil Fest 2011

Take a knee, troops! Time to take a few minutes to check out a new communication that we have received from the mighty RAVENS CREED: Showing them tearing it up at The Underworld in Camden Town, UK during the 2011 edition of Live Evil Fest.



Das Klaw has been a big fan of Thee Creed since back as far as their appearance at The Fenton (infamous Leeds sweatbox) as a 5-piece back in 2008. The current line-up (including our friend and co-conspirator Mr Al Osta)  have been cutting their chops up throughout Europe in the past year, bring military tinged Venom-worship to a festival near you.

Your life needs more Ravens Creed. We foresee an underground revolution happening for these guys in 2012 with the release of new material and a stack of live shows.

Ravens Creed's debut album "Albion Thunder" and the "Nestless and Wild" E.P. are both available now through Doomentia Records.

Wolverine Blues (Alternative Lyrics)

Before you read any further, please turn your speakers up high, press "play" on this YouTube video, then read on!



Entombed: Wolverine Blues

War trampoline!
Easter bayou team you could seed,
"Watch your log" you told Pat,
To pudding and cake is to put two in Ed.

An avid oat impression,
Lice fuck in-laws.
You and them are gay pie crust.

On a missing tropical brie,
(Haaaam!) I Hope he saves a ball if I knead some feet.

Otter leaves beer lisps,
Boy you lost your flash,
I coddled ham in tights, like I'm Wooorf!
And I have all waifs honking for warts.

Another old Imprezza,
Lysol king lost.
You and them are gay pie crust.

On a missing tropical brie,
(Haaaaam!) I Hope he saves a ball if I knead some feet.

Bitch huts,
Abel, get out the glock,
Here's my comb.
Pow Boom Pow!
I have the most fishes...
A ball!

Music by: Entombed
Lyrics by: The Unknown Headbanger

A few more photos from Live Evil Fest...

Incoming

To say we are excited about this would be an understatement.
Tickets available for the Liverpool date from http://whiplash4metal.com

Motörhead, Liverpool University, November 6th 2011

You can always be sure that winter has finally arrived in the North of England when you go to watch Motörhead on their customary tour.
For the first time in a few years we had the pleasure of simply travelling into Liverpool for the gig, instead of travelling over to Manchester. No real photos either tonight gang, we were too busy enjoying ourselves.

Support came from UK Subs (who we had missed) and Anti Nowhere League who played a solid set; watching them from the side of the stage and singing along to the likes of We Are The League made me feel thirteen again. When they finished, Animal strutted off the stage and through the crowd, straight into me, and I covered my boots with Strongbow. Punk's not dead!!
Just before the ANL's set, a rumour was going round that Motörhead weren't going to make it as there had been an accident on the motorway and that everyone would be refunded at nine thirty. As we were pondering this in the bar we heard the familiar rise and fall of an air raid siren…not only are Motörhead in the building, they're about to come onstage!!
We run to the (it must be said, pretty intimate) main room just in time to hear the opening notes of Bomber, Phil prowling the stage whilst Mikkey (surely one of the best drummers in metal today) bashes away and Lemmy, gnarled anti-hero extraordinaire, marshals everything from behind his Rickenbacker. Bomber is unbelievably followed by Damage Case, and I can already go home happy!
You almost always know what you're going to get from Motörhead, Stay Clean with THAT bass solo, Iron Fist fooling the uneducated into thinking Ace of Spades is about to start, but mid-way through the set, a sweat-soaked Orgasmatron completely takes me by surprise, Lemmy bathed in green ghost light as he sings of banners drenched in blood and crowns studded with eyes. Powerful.
Towards the end of the set, Lemmy puts his bass down, Mikkey comes out from behind his set and sits down with an acoustic guitar and they play Whorehouse Blues, which is a nice change of pace.
In an episode we are sure to repeat hundreds of times, during Killed By Death we noticed we were stood next to Carcass frontman Jeff Walker, so started singing "stood by Jeff" at the top of our lungs, to much bemusement on behalf of anyone around us. Of course, Ace of Spades, your dad's favourite Motörhead song, gets the crowd going nuts and set closer Overkill is still not long enough, and never will be, because you know when it's finished you have to go home.

And Lemmy gets to smoke behind his amps.

Incoming…

Wolfsbane, Liverpool.

Holy shit

Motörhead opened with a one two of Bomber and Damage Case. Less blogging, more gig. See you later!!!

R.I.P. Cory Smoot, Part 2 - An Update From Dave Brockie

“After a restless night spent hurtling through the desolate Canadian wilderness, I crawled from my bunk on the tour bus to face reality, grudgingly aware that the the dark dream that gripped us would not fade with the day. We have lost a brother, a husband, a son, and one of the most talented musicians that ever slung an ax. Cory Smoot, longtime lead guitar player for the band GWAR, has passed at the age of 34. As the singer of GWAR and one of his best friends, I feel it is my duty to try and answer some of the questions that surround his tragic and untimely death. I know the sense of loss and pain is far greater in scope than in the insulated environment of a band on tour, and I will do my best to provide what clarity and comfort I can.


The most glaring question is how? And unfortunately that is the hardest question to answer. The truth will not be known until the medical officials have finished their work. All I can do is relate what we saw with our own eyes. The last time I saw Cory was after our show in Minneapolis on Weds. night. It was a great show at First Avenue in Minneapolis, one of our favorite places to play. Cory was happy. He was excited about the band and especially the new studio he was building in the Slave Pit back in Richmond. He was deeply in love with his wife, Jamie, and was busily planning their family and future in the beautiful home they had. As usual, after some autographs and banter, I was probably the first person in their bunk as we got ready for a big drive into Canada, and Cory and the rest of the guys were not far behind. As I fell into the slumber that only playing GWAR shows can induce, everything seemed right in the world.


We found Cory the next morning as we collected passports for a border crossing. He was in his bunk, unresponsive, and it quickly was clear that he was dead. It was without a doubt the most horrible moment of my life. That’s all I can say about it. Within moments everybody was off the bus, standing in a wind-swept parking lot in the middle of nowhere, trying to come to grips with the shock of it. First the ambulance arrived, and then the police, but there was nothing that could be done other than fully investigate the scene and remove Cory with care and respect.


We are completely devastated and shocked beyond belief. One night we had our friend and colleague, happy and healthy in the middle of our best tour in years- and the next morning, so suddenly, he was gone. Never have I seen starker proof of the fragility of life. Cory will be transported home to Richmond over the next few days, and an announcement regarding services will be made soon. We ask everyone to respect the families wish for privacy, and especially to keep his wife, Jamie, in your thoughts and prayers.


As we work our way through these difficult days the question is — what will GWAR do? After a lot of consideration, we have decided to carry on with the tour. Although the great temptation would be to return home, curl into a fetal position, and mourn, we can’t do that. First off, Cory wouldn’t want that. He would want us to go on and would be pissed if we didn’t. Plus we know the fans don’t want us to quit. They are going to want a chance to come to grips with their loss, and there is no better place to do that than at a GWAR show. Though it’s hard to believe, I think we all would feel a lot worse if we stopped. For better or worse we have to see this through. That doesn’t mean that Cory will make his final journey without us. When the arrangements have been finalized, Cory’s best friend and GWAR’s music tech Dave “Gibby” Gibson, and myself will return home to attend the services and pay the proper respects to our comrade.


Out of respect to Cory, we have officially retired the character of Flattus Maximus. Flattus has decided to return to his beloved “Planet Home”, and will never return to this mudball planet again. And this is a sadder place for that. Just the other day I heard Cory tell a story about how some 20 years ago he was fourteen years old, at his first GWAR show, grabbing at the rubber feet of our then- current Flattus, and how blown away he was at the fact that now HE was the one getting his feet pulled by the same kid that he used to be. Cory was always in awe of the patterns of life and went through it with a wide-eyed amazement that translated through his playing. I’ve never known anyone who could pick up literally any instrument and rock it the first time he touched it, and more than that make it look easy. Behind that rubber monster outfit, and sometimes even obscured by it, was one of the most talented and beautiful people I have ever known. I know everyone who’s life was touched by Cory truly loved him, as do we, his bandmates and brothers.


There should be some kind of announcement soon regarding services, etc. It would be great to have a memorial show at some point soon, where some of the bands that Cory worked with could come together and show their love for this truly amazing man who left us all too soon and will be sorely missed by many, many people.”

Rumour Mill

What could it mean? Is it really the worst kept secret in Metal?

I foresee a Claw road trip in much the same manner as those to see Maiden, Heaven and Hell or Metallica.
Big, brash, loud.

Devil's Rain

It's hard for me to get excited about new Misfits material, I'm sure any longtime readers of this blog know how we felt (all three of us) about the band when we were growing up, and how we feel about what they've been doing since they reformed. However, I was putting together a Hallowe'en playlist lately and it had a lot of Misfits on, naturally, and I even threw tracks in like "Dig Up Her Bones", because regardless of how I feel about the multi faceted marketing machine the Misfits "brand" has become, the two albums without Danzig have got some decent songs on.
SO… let's move on a bit and review their latest album, Devil's Rain, which, rather unbelievably, is their first album of all new material since 1999, when this photo of Patchie, Skum and Jerry Only was taken. See how much we love the Misfits that we are wearing the band's shirts to their gig, an honour normally reserved only for Maiden and Motörhead.



Anyway, I digress.

Devil's Rain is a whopping sixteen(!) track monster of an album, but is it any good? Well, the answer is yeah, it's alright.
Probably not the most intellectual review you're going to hear, but it's the truth.
I'm going to get it out the way now and say it right at the beginning of the review; it's too long, and although I enjoyed it greatly and will listen to some of the tracks again (more of that later), it is to my mind, the weakest album the Misfits have ever recorded.

But, when you consider that the company it's keeping includes Static Age, Walk Among Us, and Earth A.D., that's not too bad an achievement.
But, sixteen tracks…sheesh.
If they had trimmed it a bit it would have been as good (if not better) than Famous Monsters or American Psycho; all the woah-woh's are there, the fast bits and slow bits, the horror imagery (and an absolute fucking STORMER of a song in "Father" which works not because it's a classic Misfits track, but because it sounds like an old NWOBHM track. Had this song been a b-side on a Neat Records or Bronze single in the early eighties, Thee Claw would be burning it onto every mix cd we ever make) are all there, but it's spread too thinly over too many tracks. I know they've had a lot of time out of the studio so there's been an awful lot of time to write songs, but it's too much, even though the songs are quite short. And don't let Dez sing on stuff if he isn't going to sound like Dez.

For completists and the curious, but you MUST all hear "Father".

R.I.P. Flattus Maximus (of GWAR)

Flattus Maximus was the lead guitarist in the heavy metal band GWAR. He is known by his red face, white dreadlocks, dinosaur-head shoulder pads and reptile feet. The name "Flattus" implies (verified by various concerts) a flatulent character. His speaking mannerisms suggest a childlike intelligence and naivety (until recently; his entries in the current website's blog depict a different, more violent Flattus).



On November 3, 2011, GWAR released a statement to MetalSucks.com that Cory Smoot had died:

"It is with a sense of profound loss and tragedy that the members of GWAR must announce the passing of their long time guitarist and beloved friend Cory Smoot, also known to thousands of metal fans worldwide as Flattus Maximus. Cory was found deceased this morning as the band prepared for a border crossing. There is no word as to the cause of death and the members of GWAR are completely shocked and devastated that this has occurred. At this point there is no word on arrangements and the disposition of the remainder of GWAR’s current North American tour, nor are there any details regarding long term plans. At this point we are just dealing with the loss of our dear friend and brother, one of the most talented guitar players in metal today. We ask that our fans and the media be respectful of our request for privacy for those that have suffered this terrible loss. A full statement will be coming in the next day or so, in the meantime please give your thoughts and your prayers to Cory, his family, and all the people that love him."

- Dave Brockie

Photography on this page: Suzi Zobair
Photos taken during GWAR's set at the 2010 Bloodstock festival in England.

Megadeth Perform Symphony Of Destruction (in Full Halloween Costumes)

Check this shit out!



Really dig these costumes that Megadeth wore when performing on the Jimmy Kimmel show for Halloween 2011. But we are surprised how MegaDave (AKA FrankenStane) was able to stop his latex head from falling off whilst headbanging!

Awesome stuff, we love a bit of Megadeth here at Claw Towers!

Wolvserpent, Islington Mill (Salford UK) - 28 October 2011

It's been quite some time since we last showcased some drone here on Thee Blog, but this was certainly a great set from drone-doom-duo WOLVSERPENT, a pairing coming our way from Boise, Idaho (the very same place as our dear friends in UZALA). Here they are playing at Islington Mill (Salford, UK) during their recent European tour with WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM.

Be sure to try and check out their new record, Blood Seed, via 20 Buck Spin.

This is slow hypnosis of the most sinister kind... We like it a lot!



Wolvserpent - Official
Wolvserpent - FB
Wolvserpent - My_____
Wolvserpent - Blogspot

Pagan Altar @ Live Evil Fest 2011

Love some PAGAN ALTAR? So do we!

The boys ripping London a new hole, at The Underworld on 22 October 2011.

Clip: Aura Noir @ Live Evil Fest 2011

A sneaky 45-second HD teaser clip to give you guys a taste of AURA NOIR's set at Live Evil Fest (23rd October 2011 at The Underworld in Camden Town, London, UK). Such a great set, by far and away the best act on the bill. Which is not to say anything bad about the rest of the bands playing by the way - not at all - it's just that Aura Noir were on fire at this particular show!




We saw some outstanding stuff down their in the basement of The Underworld, including the sheer Satanic joy of ANTICHRIST and the up-and-coming delight that is MORBUS CHRON. Can't say much bad about the entire event really.

Huge props to the promoters for laying on such a fine series of bands for the many thrashers who made the journey from all around the world for this great festival.

Here's to Live Evil 2012!

Live Evil 2011 (Day 1)

Howdy from London gang. SJW here, about to hit the hay for the night... we have been here for Live Evil fest, a 2 day celebration of NWOBHM-style heavy metal. Some great acts on show here today, with lots more to look forward to tomorrow.

Okay, I am about to fall asleep while sitting on the couch, so enough of this for now. Full report to follow! Here's a couple of pics to whet your appetite.

Pine Barrens, Liverpool (2011.10.18)

PINE BARRENS played a show in Liverpool tonight (Tues 18th Oct). Great set, about 25 minutes at most. These guys played at separate gigs with both YOB and 1349 earlier this week, so they're certainly getting live hours under their belt of late. Looking forward to hearing some new recordings from them soon.

http://pinebarrens.bandcamp.com/album/demo-2010

Pine Barrens - Liverpool, 18 October 2011 (Part 8 of 9)

Yob (13 Oct 2011) Star And Garter, Manchester, UK

And, hell, here's a bit of video footage from the very same gig for good measure.

Señor Abbath Está Loco

Photo taken at an Immortal gig in Mexico recently.

Oh, Abbath, you fun loving black metal comedian you.

Upcoming

Lazarus Blackstar:

Bri Doom - Bass
Gordon Wilkinson - Drums
Lee Baines - Guitars
Izak Gloom - Guitars
Mik Hell - Vocals

Black Magician:

Kyle Nesbitt - Guitar
Kabir D'silva - Bass
Matt Ford - Keyboards
Jay Plested - Drums
Liam Yates - Vocals

Venue: The Black Swan, Bradford, UK
Date: 26 November 2011
Entrance: Free

Upcoming

News taken from the Future Noise website about a show happening in Manchester UK next week:

Future Noise presents: Cut Hands + guests

Endtyme Records presents the first in a series of monthly extreme and experimental music events. These unique events, part band night/part club night, will feature a heady mix of challenging live acts interspersed with guest DJ’s spinning the best in DOOM / DEATH / BLACK / GRIND / NOISE / INDUSTRIAL.

The night is headlined by Cut Hands, an ‘afro-noise’ project featuring none other than William Bennett of Whitehouse fame on Friday 30th September 2011 at Night And Day Cafe, Oldham Street, Manchester.

The full line up features:
Cut Hands
Gum Takes Tooth
Blue Sabbath Black Fiji
Pine Barrens
From The Bogs Of Aughiska

Doors open at 8pm, tickets available via this link
https://www.theticketsellers.co.uk/buy_tickets/events/?id=10017500

I'm So Bad Baby I Don't Care

Great gig in Liverpool last night - A Motörhead tribute act called Stone Deaf Forever, fronted by our good friend and long-time collaborator Benny Killhamster, AKA Thee Iron Skum, AKA H.

Benny Killhamster of Stone Deaf Forever

A great set - quite long too! - with all the classics you know and love. And a great turn out for the show, with plenty of faces from around the area who you would be very happy to see attending your first public show.

Congrats to the SDF boys, hopefully the first of many gigs for this great 'Head tribute band!

Tonight

Stöne Deaf Förever - UK's premier Motörhead tribute act.

Stöne Deaf Förever! Tonight in Liverpool, their 1st public gig. See thee there.

INCOMING!

Mutiny Events in association with Candlelight Records Present:

• ORANGE GOBLIN
• ANAAL NATHRAKH
• ALTAR OF PLAGUES
• WINTERFYLLETH
• THE ROTTED
• OCTOBER FILE
• XERATH
• EASTERN FRONT
• FALLOCH

Sunday 13th November
Moho Live, Tib Street, Manchester

£15 adv from Mutinytickets / Ticketline.co.uk / Seetickets.com / Wegottickets.com

Doors 2.00pm

DIRECT LINKS TO TICKETS:  

http://mutinyevents.bigcartel.com/product/candlefest-manchester-sunday-13-nov

https://www.ticketline.co.uk/order/tickets/13262299/candlefest-manchester-moho-live-2011-11-13-14-00-00

http://www.seetickets.com/Event/CANDLEFEST/Moho-Live/585178

http://www.wegottickets.com/event/134208

Patchie's Record of the Week

Rawhide - Branded for Life EP

I was going to start this review off by saying "imagine, Motörhead on speed" but then I though, no, that is Motörhead.

So, imagine, being on speed, listening to Motörhead on speed, but this Motörhead have been listening to a load of garage rock and going crazy worshipping bands like Midnight and Venom.

If this doesn't get you interested then I don't know what will.

Just 4 tracks on this EP giving you a taste of what these Swedes are all about, like a d-beat version of WBTD that you can sing along to.

THe first song, the title track has a grimy rock n' roll feel to it, bringing to mind sunglasses indoors, cigarette smoke and old, old leather jackets, a barnstorming start to the EP.

Out of Track starts off with a more slowed down intro, before careering off into a Poison Idea style stomper, excellent guitar solo in this. By the time I was up to Through My Eyes, I was considering whether I can get away with wearing cowboy boots, it's that cool. Another great fists in the air chorus on this one. EP closer, Sanitarium Blues is a UK Subs style pogoing monster of a track, which I can imagine blasting out of the windows of Thee Clawmobile as we hit 105 down the M62.

All in all it's a solid, rocking punk stormer of an EP, and I can't wait to hear the full length.
Keep an eye on these guys, keep an eye on your girl when they're around.

In a nutshell: Motörhead and Venom meet for bare knuckle fight behind a nightclub that The Damned are playing at, and create the sound Darkthrone have been after for a few years now.

Get yourself over to PATAC and get it ordered. First come, first sleazed.

Fenriz’ Metal Merchants Festival DJ Set, Vol. II

Huge props to †ROCKWELL† and the guys over at Vice for posting the latest DJ set list by brother Fenriz from the 2008 (or was it 2009?) Metal Merchants Festival in Oslo. Yes, this list is now a couple of years old but, hey, the music is even older than that and let's be honest about 98% of people will never have heard more than a handful of these tracks anyway.

What we're saying is, basically, this is an example of the shit you should be feasting upon on a regular basis if you want to carve yourself a niche as an "old school" thrasher. (Not that you can ever hope to technically be considered old school if you are only just starting out now anyways, but you get our meaning!)

All of the following is lifted directly from the VICE Magazine website. Thee Claw recommends that you go check it out, they have a lot of other shit there that you're sure to gain some insight from.

Fenriz Metal Merchants DJ Set (2008) Vol II

TRACKLISTING:

1. UFO (ENGLAND) - “ROCK BOTTOM” (1974)
2. MINDLESS SINNER (SWEDEN) - “MASTER OF EVIL” (1983)
3. KARNAX (CANADA) - “TO HELL” (2007)
4. ATTACKER (USA) - “BATTLE AT HELM’S DEEP” (1985)
5. PAGAN ALTAR (ENGLAND) - “PAGAN ALTAR” (1982)
6. EM RUINAS (BRAZIL) - “BURN IN HELL” (2007)
7. COVEN (USA) - “GENERAL’S EYE” (1987)
8. OMEGA (USA) - “SHADOWS OF THE PAST” (1987)
9. LUZBEL (MEXICO) - “HIJOS DEL METAL” (1986)
10. THOR (CANADA) - “WHEN GODS COLLIDE” (1985)
11. MANILLA ROAD (USA) - “HAUNTED PALACE” (1987)
12. OZZY (ENGLAND) - “S.A.T.O.” (1981)
13. CLOVEN HOOF (ENGLAND) - “THE GATES OF GEHENNA” (1984)
14. RAT ATTACK (USA) - “REAPER’S PREY” (1983)
15. ACCEPT (GERMANY) - “FREE ME NOW” (1979)
16. EXCITER (CANADA) - “RISING OF THE DEAD” (1983)
17. ARIA (RUSSIA) - “ANTICHRIST” (1991)
18. SCORPIONS (GERMANY) - “ROBOT MAN” (1975)

Fuck yeah.

Note: We just decided... It would be so easy to simply add the original download link for you to grab a copy of this compilation, but then that would be a bit wrong of us, don't you think? We reckon so. So instead let's just all agree that you will go to the Vice page for the compilation and get the link from over there.

http://www.viceland.com/music/2011/08/fenriz-metal-merchants-mix-vol-ii/#more-14860
http://afistinthefaceofgod.blogspot.com/

Happy thrashing!

Black Bart Blues

July 11

On the Death Decks this month:

Tree Of Sores

Iron Witch - Single Malt

Lifer - Cursing Them Out

Thorns - Stigma Diabolicum

Sabbat (UK) - History of a Time To Come

Emperor - In the Nightside Eclipse

Masacre - Ola de Violencia

Hadez - Extreme Badness on the World

Storm - Nordavind

Hateful Abandon - Move

Peste Noir - L'Ordure à l'état Pur

Damnation 2011: "The Cat" Is Back

English thrashers EVILE and Finnish folk metallers TURISAS are the latest names added to the DAMNATION FESTIVAL 2011 bill.

The duo - who will play the Jagermeister Stage at Leeds University Union on Saturday, November 5 - are joined by the progressive death of XERATH and a unique, one-off showing of A MAN CALLED CATTEN performing a Medulla Nocte.

Paul Catten said: "After listening to the Medulla Nocte albums for the first time in many years, I knew I had to play these songs one last time.

"A Man Called Catten is a tribute to this material, and my chance to do them justice...playing them as they were meant to be played; live, fast and very loud. I'm ecstatic to be able to perform them at Damnation where I have great memories from previous performances, and this is the one and only time you will hear a set comprising of nothing but Nocte tracks. Relive your youth…the fucking Cat is back!"

Festival director Gavin McInally added: "Evile opened Damnation Festival when we still called Manchester home and following their meteoric rise - which is sure to continue with their new album - it's fantastic to finally have them back at the festival, adding a much needed dose of thrash.

Turisas will no doubt be a surprise addition to many fans but when men with swords tell you they need a home for a night, you throw open your doors! We're looking forward to a battle with some beers at Damnation as they trek across the country on their UK tour.

"Xerath are a certain to kick-off proceedings in style while the prospect of seeing Paul Catten tearing through Medulla Nocte classics at his vicious best is going to leave the rest of the Terrorizer Stage will a difficult set to follow!"

Tickets are on sale, priced £29 and are available from See Tickets, Ticketline and Leeds Tickets

Tickets are also now available the official Damnation site and Facebook via Ticketscript

For more information visit the official Damnation Festival sites:
Web || Facebook || Twitter || Myspace

THEE CLAW says:

Nice work, Damnation gang! Turisas are a favourite of ours - well of SJW's at least - check out this pic of him and Warlord roaring at a camera phone at Bloodstock a couple of years back:

Photo: Warlord getting bothered by a bald Scouser.

More of that Viking shit will fit the bill nicely!

Plus the return of Paul Catton (Murder One, Medulla Nocte, Lazarus Blackstar, The Sontaran Experiment, etc, etc!) - We haven't seen the big C in action since his gig in Liverpool back in March '08 when touring with Gallhammer. And he is playing a set of Medulla Nocte stuff too... All Our Friends Are Dead! Hell, let's even dare to hope that he wears the same stage outfit he donned for the afore-mentioned Liverpool gig too.

Iron Witch - Single Malt EP

IRON WITCH
Single Malt EP
Witch Hunter Records

New out on Witch Hunter Records is the debut EP from Liverpool sludgers IRON WITCH.

What we have here are five tracks of downtuned fuzzy riffage, like a more accessible Charger or Weedeater.

Unlike labelmates Tree of Sores who have a uniquely British sound, IW go for the more in-vogue NOLA style sludge that we've come to know and love over the 23 years since Eyehategod formed,

Opener A .45 to Pay the Rent goes straight into some EHG style stomping, and sets the scene for the rest of the EP, with a bass-heavy fuzzy crawl, moving into the more upbeat Single Malt, which contains a repetitive, tortuous riff towards the end. The drawn out hangover claustrophobia of Booze Blues sticks to the ol' sludge maxim that if a riff is half decent it's the only one a track really needs so run with it and jam it. Seven minute closing track The Cruelty of Mankind starts off at a snail's pace, seemingly crossing over into more doomy territory for a while before moving back onto more familiar sludge ground about two and a half minutes on, albeit with a more metallic, punky edge, something I feel they do just as well if not better than just the straight ahead sludge stuff and would love to hear more of in the future!

Iron Witch will be playing the following dates soon; so get along and see 'em.

Tue, Jul 26 7:00 pm The Caledonia Liverpool
w/ Crows, Curb Crawl, GWC + Black Veins

Thu, Aug 4 7:00 pm Zanzibar Liverpool
w/ Entropy, El Schlong, The Bendal Interlude + Scare Tactics

Sat, Aug 6 7:00 pm Terrorizer Grindhouse @ The Snooty Fox Wakefield
w/ The Prophecy, Iron Void + Poison Dwarf

Fri, Aug 19 7:30 pm EP Release Show @ The Caledonia
Liverpool
w/ The Bendal Interlude, Zangief + Gurt

Mon, Aug 22 8:00 pm Green Door Store
w/ Enos + Gurt

Sat, Sep 3 7:00 pm Asylum 2 Birmingham
w/ Magma Rise + Iron Void

Tumblr

We now also have a tumblr page at http://theeclaw1986.tumblr.com/ because, well, we have five years worth of "behind the scenes" type photos that nobody's ever seen, and we haven't seen ourselves for years, and would just clog this page up if we posted them on here.
So, follow the link if you're interested in seeing us drunken all over Europe!

And what do you mean, "Why 1986?"!

Lifer - Cursing them Out

LIFER
CURSING THEM OUT
Label: House of Doom

When you're like us, and you're of a certain age, and you've been a metalhead for more of your life than you haven't been a metalhead, you qualify as a lifer.

LIFER, from Swansea, certainly are that.
Featuring members of such luminaries as Acrimony, Rectify and Black Eye Riot (I fucking loved that band, especially No Hope, No Future, No Worries!) have an impeccable pedigree, and meld together all their influences on debut Cursing Them Out, which sounds just like a gang of lifelong metalheads recording an album. They couldn't have called the band anything else!  There's everything here, from Crowbar-esque sludge riffery, to some COC sounding grooves, and a feel like a more modern version of Exhorder thrashing in parts.

With a band bringing together such experience and distilling it onto CD there would be room for it to not quite work, but this album never lets up, and never hits any flat points, it's all go, all the time.Web and Roy knock out some top riffs, like I say able to go from thrash to groove to sludge effortlessly, Dibble and Greg are a rhythmic force to be reckoned with Greg's drumming in particular make me raise my eyebrows and try to tap my feet along to Reach, which also saw me headbanging around the living room.  I keep doing this to Broken Bones too, from around 2:36 to the end.

When I was a 13 year old, I'd have killed for this album, I'd have worn the tape out in my walkman, staggering home from the woods full of warm cider..
I don't have to kill for it now, but I'll always be full of warm cider, and I might just wear the CD out because this week I've realised... I AM A LIFER.

THE DEVIL'S CHURCH

The Devil's Church All-dayer.
Venue: Rio's Bradford
Line up: Druganaut/The Dead Ressurected/Domes of Silence/Severed Heaven/Arkham Witch/The Aftermath/Sigiriya/Ravens Creed

Last weekend we made the short trip over to Bradford to see a hellish lineup of bands at Rio's.
I was personally very excited because three of my favourite, and I feel most exciting, bands in the UK were going to be playing, and so it was that we arrived in West Yorkshire to a sountrack of Deep purple, Celtic Frost and a display of glorious sunshine, full of Theakston's Old Peculier.  Well, I was at least.

We arrived in time to go for a little stroll around, have a drink in The Empress and then a few more (ahem...can you see where this is going?) in Rios before the first band come on, Druganaut.
Filthy, downtuned, Northeast sludge that makes me feel even hotter and more uncomfortable than I am in the upstairs tin box of Rio's. Most enjoyable, although I don't seem to have any photos? Anyway, check out their page on Soundcloud for their EP Shake Your Bones.

Next up, The Dead Resurrected.

This was the first time I'd seen or heard them, playing some awesome, downtuned sludge and roll, The DEAD Ressurected feature an almost who's-who of metal, and make a damn good noise doing it. Really enjoyed the swampy grooves on offer here, well worth checking out!  Total filthdoom!


I now have a confession to make, after this set finished we went off in search of food and what have you, after all we had been on the road since early in the morning and needed real ale and felafel.
To this end, I missed Domes of Silence completely, and only got back around thirty seconds away from the end of Severed Heaven's set, sorry about that, we owe both of you a proper review.
But! We did venture over to the 1 in 12 in search of food and managed to get a guerrilla photo shoot of Yorkshire Anarcho punks Trauma Unit rehearsing....

Go and check them out if, like me, you like your punk a bit crusty!!!

Anyway, we had three of our favourite bands in the UK coming up after this, starting with the true metal stylings of Arkham Witch.  They play a brand of metal that is rooted firmly in the underground, but with enough of that unique quality that means they can literally appeal across genres.  From the punky NWOBHM singalong Let England Prevail through some more melancholy and dark tracks like Suicide 75, I enjoyed their set greatly.

Whenever I shake my head at another glossy metal mag with bands like the Black Veiled Brides on the cover, I console myself with the fact that my heavy metal is safe in the hands of people like Arkham Witch.

The Aftermath - Again, we completely missed these!! Apologies guys!! I can't even find a link to them anywhere online, any help would be appreciated!

Sigiriya were the next band I got to see, I'd been looking forward to seeing them for ages, and they were kind enough to let us hear their album Return to Earth before almost anybody else.

They sound so tight on the CD, and they ain't no slouches live either.  Sometimes bands have a problem transferring that to the stage but these guys are seamless together, my head was bobbing, my feet were tapping, my fists kept going up in the air involuntarily, I must have looked like I was having some kind of seizure to the untrained eye. awesome, you should all check them out if you haven't already.

One of the best bands in the UK right now, jamming your life to fuck.

Next up were Ravens Creed, who are, quite literally, my favourite band in the UK right now, and one of Thee Claw's definite favourites.  They come on stage and just literally tear through all their stuff; it's a good few songs in before newest member Al talks to the crowd.  Ravens Creed are an absolute fucking powerhouse onstage.

It's like I've jumped in a tardis and gone back in time to watch Venom play in a Geordie boozer.

Al patrols the stage like an angry doberman spitting out lyrics and rattling your fillings with roars, and its an absolute crying shame that there were so few people here to see this.

Panzer Maniac is the standout track of the set for me, and I can tell you this much, after they have played at the Live Evil festival, they will be talked about in hushed tones like Aura Noir et al, in short they will be everyone's favourite "true" band, and quite rightly so. Fraser and Jay fit together seamlessly, Jay's skills are as ever, ridiculous behind the kit, and Steve shreds right over them and together, they sound so unmistakenly British.

I heard that Kam Lee heard Nestless and Wild and it's what prompted him to try to get Massacre back together recently.

Ravens Creed are going to be everywhere soon, and you probably heard it here first.

Good on you lads, hurry up and come back!