(A.K.A.: Parker Rambles About Five Albums He’s Been Listening to Recently…Again)

This will be a continuation of my last article, as I will be choosing five records I’ve been playing fairly often throughout the recent few weeks. Like last time, if any of these records sound intriguing, I highly encourage a listen. All of these records are available on Spotify and most other services (to my knowledge at the very least).

#1:) Station (2007) by Russian Circles:
I’m honestly disappointed in myself for snubbing this album while I was writing my original article. Make no mistake, Station has been the record I’ve been playing the most recently, and I can’t believe I didn’t acknowledge it the first time around.

Russian Circles is an instrumental post-metal, which in of itself makes them difficult to describe. Post-metal is such an odd, yet intricate genre that takes multiple listens of multiple bands in order to get a thorough grasp on it. The best way I can describe it is diet prog metal with hardcore, mathcore, and ambient influences, of course that varies depending on the band.

This particular record, the titular band’s sophomore effort, Station, possibly remains as my favorite post-metal record to date, featuring six tracks of varying levels of complexity and nuance.

Featuring tight yet ambient production, soaring guitars, and a punishing bass (courtesy of Brian Cook, who was actually featured in my last article, as he was the bassist in These Arms are Snakes, as well as Botch, a personal favorite band of mine).

I’d be hard pressed not to mention “Harper Lewis” and “Youngblood”, as those tracks are possibly two of my favorite songs at the current time. Two fantastic tracks that make the album worthwhile just on their own.

Listen to the album, it’s a beautiful experience with a metal edge featuring two god tier songs.

Highlight Track(s):
“Harper Lewis” and “Youngblood” (I had to include both)

#2:) Unsilent Death (2010) by Nails:
Alright, let’s go from an incredibly slow moving and beautiful release, to a revolting, unrelenting powertrip. 

Nails are possibly the most recognizable grindcore figures in the modern day, taking the hallmarks of the genre presented by pioneers like Napalm Death, and mixing them up with their own sludgy style.

While their three albums provide something unique to extreme music fans every go around, it’s their debut that’s getting my attention. Plus, it’s the deluxe version, which is the only version available on streaming platforms, and the only deluxe version that’s actually better than the original, mainly thanks to the addition of the track, “Obscene Humanity”.

A record not for the faint of heart, not only thanks to the cover art, but also the speed of sound pace and bruising guitar tones.

The band truly crafted something vicious here, one that weaves societal commentary with a razorblade like ferocity. 

If you don’t enjoy heavier styles of metal, stay away from this, but if you’re curious, or just like grindcore in general, listen to this if you haven’t already.

Highlight Track:
“Unsilent Death”

#3:) Meridional (2010) by Norma Jean:
Moving back to a record I potentially snubbed from my original article, Georgia-formed metalcore collective Norma Jean’s 2009 effort, Meridional, makes the cut this time.

Taking a far different approach from their previous releases up until that point, Meridional was a turning point for the band’s style, moving away from the many noise, grind, and emo influences that fueled their early releases, and adopting a much more complex and grandiose sound, and it works for the most part.

While I am currently undecided on if this is their finest record (the two records that preceded this were also fantastic, with those being 2006’s Redeemer and 2008’s The Anti-Mother), this still features many of the band’s finest tracks including “Leaderless and Self-Enlisted,” “A Media Friendly Turn for the Worse,” “High Noise, Low Output,” and “Everlasting Tapeworm”.

Highlight Track:
“A Media Friendly Turn for the Worse”

#4:) El Diablo (1997) by Will Haven:
Here’s a band that’s hard to classify, Sacramento’s own Will Haven.

A band that was inspired by the many sounds of hardcore and mathcore that also blended the elements of their area’s nu metal scene, Will Haven provided a nice shake-up to the hardcore formula, although their stay was rather brief as they fell into the hell of hiatuses shortly after the release of their 2001 record, Carpe Diem.

But their 1997 debut was something different, as it had an edge, but also provided chamber-like passages, ala something from ambient genres, and skate punk.

It’s quite odd at how slow this record can be, as it comes from a band who toured with Deftones and Soulfly back in the 90’s.

It’s a shame this band could never reach the bar they set with their debut, but at least they made their mark.

Highlight Track:
“Stick Up Kid”

#5:) You’re a Woman, I’m a Machine (2004) by Death from Above 1979:
Okay, let’s go with something a little more poppy, courtesy of Canada’s noise punk / garage rock duo, Death from Above 1979 (or as I’ll refer to them, DFA1979).

DFA1979’s debut album is an odd little gem, as it combines elements of pop punk, noise punk, garage rock, and dance music into an amalgamation of unadulterated fun. Yes, it’s a fun album.

The record’s lyrics provide a tongue-in-cheek look at romance and family, blending sarcasm with stone cold seriousness that can take you by surprise.

The album is groovy, fast, distorted, and doesn’t pull any punches. It’s not afraid to get laid back when it wants to, but it’s also not afraid to give you whiplash thanks to the band’s blazing energy.

Highlight Track:
“Turn It Out”