Controlled Bleeding - “Carving Songs” 2xCD

Outer limits remixes 

A heavy-duty revisitation and reinterpretation of Bleeding’s “comeback” album of 2016, this expansive double-disc set opens with the new track, “TROD (Defiler’s Song)” — a wild and hardcore mesh of noisy thrash-edged rock (actually not far from the group’s old Skin Chamber project) with a more subtle electronic angle. It’s potent and downright frighteningly intense. The other tracks here, mostly remixes, alter the group’s diverse sounds into even more unique and unusual feels and sound-worlds.

Highlights of disc 1 include former Chain Reaction minimalists Monolake delayering/remixing “Carving Song” into their own austere rhythmic drum-loop style. “As Evening Implodes (Barnacles Remix)” brings a gentle and moody seaside strings vibe that serves as a pleasant interlude. The long-lost Renaldo & The Loaf take “As The Evening Fades” into a rich playground of exotica and, strangely,  animal sounds. JK Broadrick slices “Swarm” into a roomy, blackened, near-Godflesh slab, while the legendary Ramleh brings “As Evening Fades” into an opium den-soaked gauze of psychedelia. Rothko’s “Garage Dub” is a shoegazey wisp of ambient jazz, if that makes any sense, whereas ambient composer Tim Story remixes “Needle Evening” into a shimmery vapor-trip to finish off the disc.

Disc 2 begins with “Perks Pt 1 (Perv Mix)” — an amalgamation of grind/prog/metal/jazz that thunders along massively. Ron Anderson’s remix of “Carving Song” is a weirdly funky take, while Crowhurst’s remix of “A Loathing Supreme” is a terrifying free jazz/noise horror skronk. “Fusion Song (Le Syndicat Remix)” is a beautifully messy auto-crash of blistering electronic frequencies, lacerating post-dub beats, and overloaded effects (perhaps my favorite piece here) while Merzbow recalls Controlled Bleeding’s early years well with his abstract noise remix of “Perks Of Being A Perv”. 

Whereas many “remix albums” sound more like compilations (which they, by nature, are), Controlled Bleeding’s already vast musical terrain and the experimental tendencies of the remixers here make for a consistent and cohesive double-album that complements well the group’s uniquely visceral vision. This is not rock, nor jazz, or even industrial. Just call it Controlled Bleeding.

Artoffact Records

"Immortalised - Earache Records 1986-2000" DVD

Earache Records seem to be cleaning out their video vaults these days, as there's been not one, but THREE video comps released in the past few months.

This one, reprised from a 2000 VHS release (and transferred from that format, seemingly), actually repeats 5 clips from the previous Earache comp ('Earache My Eye'). But that's splitting hairs, right?

There are some fine, upstanding bits of extreme 90's-era metal included here. Morbid Angel's 'God Of Emptiness', something of death metal icon, is cheesy and overly dramatic. And I never felt their music had quite the bite it should've. Hair farmers Carcass turn in the blistering 'Heartwork', which is powerful until the frilly dual-guitar solos kick in. I still like it, though. Pitch Shifter are always worth the ink, and their clip for the fiery 'Triad' is inspiringly aggro - and a prime example of what I feel is the band's best period, harnessing some lacerating industrial beats and electronics with a punchy metal crunch. Iron Monkey's competent screamer 'Gorgonizer' is a simultaneously appalling and captivating pastiche of brutal wrestling footage. Ewww. And Vader's 'Dark Age' could be a parody of death metal, if not for the weirdly out of place white-clad ballet dancer. Huh?

Also included are favorites (repeated from 'My Eye') from Godflesh and At The Gates.

Anyway, this collection remains a solid encapsulation of influential metal label Earache's relevance during the whole 'alt.rock' boom of the 90's. And a lot of it's better than most of the rock that's masquerading as 'metal' lately, so take that as a tentative recommendation. (Earache/MVD Visual)

"Earache My Eye" compilation DVD

This reissue of an old VHS tape from venerable UK metal label Earache Records includes some righteously heavy stuff, and plenty of forgettable late-80's/early 90's bits as well. Opening with the best is always a wise choice, and Godflesh's 'Crush My Soul' clip (which I'd somehow never seen before) is nicely disturbing, and includes a cameo from none other than Bob Flanagan (best known for his meat-grinding appearance in Nine Inch Nails 'Happiness In Slavery' video, and for the Re/Search book about his masochistic ways). Dub War (who always bored me) turn in a bleah Bad Brains-meets-nu-metal 'Strike It', and Entombed (who used to be good) present their sell-out clip for the tragically sucky 'Wolverine Blues'. Pretty stupid then, and embarrassing now. Cathedral's early doom metal ages reasonably well, and their 'Hopkins (Witchfinder General)' references the mighty Vincent Price film, and includes (likely unlicensed) an 'appearance' by Price himself. Vincent Price is a god, and thus this clip is quite cool (even if the dancing metal babe cheeses me out). The unjustly-ignored Misery Loves Co. are represented by 'My Mind Still Speaks', an industrial metal pounder that outdid a lot of similar stuff of the era. At The Gates (who I have never heard much of) are memorable, with their Carcass-like grinder 'Blinded By Fear', and Carcass themselves bring the catchy 'No Love Lost', which is still pretty ace, if you ask me. Pitchshifter's 'Underachiever' is a nice bit of cyber-industrial metal as they did best, Sleep's 'Dragonaut' is a Sabbath-a-rama, and Brutal Truth are fearsome with 'Godplayer'. Other clips by Fudge Tunnel (awesome band, lame clip) and Napalm Death side-project Meathook Seed are forgettable. A nice collection of heavy sounds, dated perhaps in spots, but solid nonetheless. (Earache/MVD Visual)