Another months goes by and we give you another month’s worth of staff picks and playlists from some of the folks at Hellbound. Feel free to add your own picks of the month in the comments!
Hellbound recommends
Bill Adams
Listening to: Green Day – Father of All Motherfuckers
New release: Green Day – Father of All Motherfuckers.
While the actual release of Green Day’s thirteenth full-length studio album is a little difficult to define (singles began coming out shortly after recording wrapped in September 2019, putting a rush on release as tracks continued to appear), there’s no question that it is a red letter album. Clocking in at less than a half-hour in length, the album bravely ignores basically EVERY keystone sound the band has used as calling cards over the years (no buzzsaw guitars, no bouncing bass lines, no Rob Cavallo production) and rethinks the whole damned thing while STILL managing to sound like Green Day (exception being the album’s title track – which sounds like an Eagles of Death Metal song). Here, the band basically reaches in every direction it can for fresh inspiration, and is never left grasping at straws. Each cut (but particularly “I Was a Teenage Teenager,” “Stab You in the Heart” and “Fire, Ready, Aim”) comes out strongly with a fresh, vintage R&B influence (think Little Richard, in the early days of his career), and leaves listeners wide-eyed with the band’s audacity, but also eager to hear more. Looking at the band’s entire catalogue, there’s little doubt that Dookie and American Idiot are the biggest albums Green Day has ever done, but Father of All Motherfuckers will end up having made a strong and believable play for the title of their “most exciting album.”
Non-Metal: Territories – Short Seller (CD Record)
On paper, my mind wobbled at the idea of this release. “This is a playable vinyl record made using a CD press,” proclaimed the press release which accompanied my review copy of Territories’ “Short Seller” CD Record. “CDs are dead. Long live vinyl.”Anyone who is familiar with how formats emerge knows that the first couple of years after any new format emerges are marked by perfecting the releases themselves, and the advent of CD Records is no different. In this case, the sound quality was generally godawful, but finding the song on youtube revealed that Territories are definitely onto something comparable to Melodic Hardcore bliss. The guitars are tightly wound and infectious, and Kyle Hegel’s vocals rival that of the work he did with Knucklehead. The whole problem is this new format – it needs refinement. In the meantime, check “Short Seller” out here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdocd-za7K4
Wild card: Charger – Watch Your Back (12”single)
What might you get if you invited Social Distortion to attend a seance to contact Lemmy Kilmister in the afterlife and the Motorhead frontman actually showed up to jam? The results would sound a lot like this. Thanks to Matt Freeman (Rancid’s bassist, but the bassist and singer, here) and drummer Jason Willer (of Guantanamo School of Medicine), along with guitarist Andrew McGee for turning it loose on the world. Start with this single, get won by it and then seek out the full-length.
Steve Earles
New release: Toxic Holocaust – Primal Future
This is how thrash should be done, primitive and 80s style!
Non-Metal: The Jam – Best Of.
Just great songs.
Wild Card: Gary Numan and Tubeway Army – The Premier Hits
Great 80s electronica.
Arta Gailuma
Listening to: Lord of the Lost https://youtu.be/WwzGD6FeOAI
I was sooo looking forward to see this band live at HRH Metal Festival, but unfortunately due to Chris losing his voice they were not able to play. Will have to be another time!
New release: Godthrymm – Reflections, 14.02.2020 via Profound Lore Records
Live: Equilibrium at HRH Metal 2020
Gruesome Greg
Listening to: Ritual King – self-titled
New release: Today is the Day – No Good to Anyone
Live: Church of Misery, Black Wizard, Forming the Void @ The Garrison, Feb 18
Non-Metal: Luke Combs – Beer Never Broke My Heart
Wild card: I ate a PB&J Bacon Burger during Winterlicious, haha.
Sarah Riley
Listening to: Death – The Sound of Perseverance (Nuclear Blast, 1998).
New release: 1. Raider – Bound by No Fate (Nomadic Arts, February 22, 2020) 2. Black Leather StraitJackets – Bastard Head (STAGEFRIGHT, January 10th, 2020)
Non-Metal: Sunny Day Real Estate – In Circles (Diary, Sub Pop, 1994)
Wild card: The Host, a film directed by Bong Joon-ho (2006)
Daniel Smith
Listening to: Baise Ma Hache – F.E.R.T
New release: Blaze of Sorrow – Notturna
Live: Los Lobos. Toronto, ON
Non-Metal: Complainer – Choir Boy
Wild card: War and Peace (Criterion Collection)
Laura Wiebe
Listening to: Wormwitch – Heaven That Dwells Within
New release: Mokoma – Ihmissokkelo
Non-Metal: Maître Gims – Ceinture noire (Transcendance)
Wild card: Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) and the recent series of Black History Month interviews from sports podcast Burn It All Down
Adam Wills
Listening to: Leprous – Pitfalls
New release: Ihsahn – Telemark EP
Live: Devin Townsend / Haken – Toronto – Feb 27, 2020
Non-Metal: Emma Ruth Rundle – On Dark Horses
Wild card: Medical Police (Netflix) – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXXTjaDsbMM
