Since this month marks the 25th year of existence for Aversionline, I wanted to try and look back on some music that I was spewing words about æons ago. This quickly became somewhat of a daunting task, 'cause... god damn, back then I wrote about more bands in a month than I currently cover in a year!? Plus, a decent amount of enthusiasm went toward artists/albums that have since achieved a certain revered status and don't necessarily require a ton of reflection, but... it's still kind of a kick to see what I was excited about at the dawn of the millennium, and—as always—there are some unsung gems in there, too! Here's a semi-synopsis of Aversionline v1.0 circa 2000.
Some of What I Loved the Most...
Aghora, Aghora (Dobles Productions)
"This is definitely high-level progressive metal, with writing and playing that is amongst the best out there. It is also worth mentioning that if you listen closely, there is a whole lot of detail going on in these tracks that might go unnoticed..."
Interestingly, I was full of both praise and criticism for this album. I should revisit Aghora again with fresh ears and see where it lands with me now.
Botch, We are the Romans (Hydra Head Records)
"Well, I've heard the hype and now I understand why. Changes out the ass, odd timings, and wacky riffs are a winning combination here. Plenty of chaos and discord plus hints of melody and true feeling/character. Stunning."
Despite loving this release, I kinda faded away from Botch in the years that followed, and have only within the past few years been circling back to their discography.
Demon System 13, Vad Vet Vi Om Kriget? (Deranged Records)
"The bass guitar sound rules and powers this machine fully! Often basic punk/hardcore done in a very original way—the writing/performances are something new. While it sounds almost upbeat at times, there are dissonant and jagged patterns developing as well."
A bit atypical of my preferred styles of hardcore, but I was way into D.S.-13, and their bassist Christoffer was always very cool to me.
E.Town Concrete, The Second Coming (Triple Crown)
"...something about E.Town Concrete is much more authentic than any other aggressive band with a massive hip-hop influence; not to mention the fact that they are immeasurably more skilled as both writers and musicians."
I love E.Town, forever and always.
Krakatoa, Channel Static Blackout (Second Nature Recordings)
"Melodic, emotional, energetic, and diverse. It's very hard to explain with words how powerful this material really is."
Still a 10/10 that I feel is underrated. I'm happy to scream about the brilliance of this album anytime.
Maudlin of the Well, My Fruit Psychobells… (Dark Symphonies)
"Bizarre, confusing metal... Clarinets, trumpets, keys, death metal growls, harmonized clean singing, you name it and it's here. This is one amazing release. From total doom/death metal to convincing '70s prog rock and authentic jazz passages, this band can and will pull off nearly anything they wish."
I still have such fond memories of this album that it makes it too easy for me to overlook the band's other work, as when I throw one of their albums on the stereo, it tends to be this one.
The Movielife, This Time Next Year (Revelation Records)
"Holy shit, this is pretty much the greatest! Immediately kicking in with fast, upbeat, melodic hardcore with sort of snotty, high vocals. Great sound, great songs, great disc!"
"Pretty much the greatest" still to this day!
Nasum, Human 2.0 (Relapse Records)
"The band shreds away nonstop with better writing and ridiculously powerful breaks and changes. As always, they unleash well-done lyrics compelled by harnessed anger and intelligent, conscious issues—making Nasum the modern day equivalent of the mighty force that Napalm Death once was."
Holds up. R.I.P. Mieszko.
Nocturnus, Ethereal Tomb (Season of Mist)
"Damn, was I glad to hear this! This kicks in immediately with riffs reminiscent of the Nocturnus of old! Brutal, technical death metal with superb musicianship, a flurry of changes, and very interesting writing. It's heavy, melodic, and even atmospheric at times..."
I have to confess that my excitement for Ethereal Tomb has waned over the years, but it's certainly still an enjoyable set of songs.
Nyctophobic, Insects (Morbid Records)
"Whoa, this is damn good grindcore with an awesome hardcore/punk influence... ripping fast with vicious shouting vocals and some killer breaks! This is some of the best grind I've heard in a long time, because it's fucking catchy and has a lot of classic inspiration to it."
Insects remains an unsung gem of ferocious grindcore. If it's new to you, do some digging!
Opeth, Still Life (Peaceville)
"This is absolutely one of the most innovative and moving releases that has ever been thrust upon the metal community, and I highly recommend it to anyone that has respect for quality musicianship with a superb balance of emotion and aggression."
The peak of my Opeth fandom, and still my personal favorite selection from their discography
Sculptured, Apollo Ends (The End Records)
"Sculptured executes melodic metal within intricate arrangements, often including horn passages and vocals that sway from upper-range black/death screams to excellent singing. I can definitely say that despite its similarities to a few other bands, this is some of the most innovative music I've heard."
Indeed, I recall being intrigued by a good portion of what The End Records was putting forth at this time.
Other Stuff That Got Me Hyped...
Boysetsfire, After the Eulogy (Victory Records)
"This is pretty diverse as far as style goes, with a mix of tempos and some complicated changes, screaming/singing vocals, etc. The dissonance and aggression of the harder areas is leveled off with poppy influences, clean parts, and upbeat emo tendencies in areas. I really enjoy the sense of urgency and dynamics of the songs, they have made an obvious advancement as writers."
The album that converted me into a fan. Broke this out last night and was surprised by how familiar many of the songs still felt. Excellent.
Cave In, Jupiter (Hydra Head Records)
"...this is a whole new ball game, bringing to mind a few important questions. Do I miss the metal? Absolutely. Does it really matter? Not at all... this is light years beyond their early material. Why? Because they've abandoned the chaotic mess and forced vocals in favor of something more important: good songs."
Funny enough, I find myself revisiting the early Cave In material more often as of late. It's been too long since I rocked Jupiter, and I need to remedy that!
The Degenerics, Generica (Dead Alive Records)
"Musically, The Degenerics play awesome, full-blown hardcore/punk with fantastic writing and snotty, angry vocals. I can even hear sparse bits of grind/metal here and there."
Wow, I vaguely remember this LP—and still have it—but probably haven't spun it in 20 years!? Another one I need to come back to soon!
Fall of the Leafe, August Wernicke (Icarus Music)
"There's a wonderful sense of atmosphere with quality and diversity. All-in-all it brings to mind an odd Dissection/Amorphis connection—but is still very much original."
This band just got better and better. Volvere and Vantage would be my top picks today.
Isis, Celestial (Escape Artist Records)
"Celestial contains much more variety than past efforts from Isis, as here there are quiet sections with heavy effects and experimentation. Even the vocals range from venomous distorted screams to droned singing... Other more impressive elements that arise are the use of hypnotic repetition in drawn-out instrumental passages, and the integration of tasteful melody..."
Isis started to lose me a few years later, so I often forget how much I adored their early work. I'll grab The Red Sea most often, but yet again I should jam Celestial ASAP.
Lamb of God, New American Gospel (Prosthetic Records)
"Holy hell, what have we here? Burn the Priest has been reborn under the moniker Lamb of God, and the unfiltered fury they possess is now stronger than ever. One listen to tracks like 'The Subtle Art of Murder and Persuasion' is all it will take for you to realize how much potential these guys have been sitting on..."
Another band that eventually lost me (for no reason), but... I came back! Was a big fan from the Burn the Priest days, and always respected the hell out of these guys.
Retaliation, The Execution (Headfucker Records)
"Yeah! 22 tracks in just over 15 minutes, so you know you're in for it! This is Swedish grind with absolutely no remorse!"
I was probably in part so jazzed on Retaliation because they had Henke from Dawn on vocals.
Shai Hulud/Another Victim, A Whole New Level of Sickness (Trustkill)
"[Shai Hulud] is easily the best band that has been spawned from the hardcore scene in years, and they can do no wrong... Another Victim unloads some seriously heavy shit, chock-full of mid-paced, relentless brutality."
Duh. Of course this rules!
Spiritual Beggars, Ad Astra (Music for Nations)
"What we have herein is nearly an hour of totally grooved-out tracks with some insane guitar work, organs, etc."
I didn't remember being quite so excited about this one, but was a bit Sweden-crazy during this timeframe. Have coincidentally been diving more heavily into their work in recent years.
Taiho, Chugalug (Howling Bull America)
"This fucking rules! Totally heavy sludge, doom, rock from Japan! Massive, massive production with insanely dense guitars and pounding bass lines; twisted dual vocals; and tight, fill-laden drumming."
Killer and incredibly underrated album. Their best, in my opinion—though I'm still on the hunt to track down their debut!
And a Few That I Got Wrong...
Deadindustry, Taking the Fall (Self-Released)
"The major riffing style is that '90s metal groove, which is not exactly my thing. I can still get into a lot of this, though."
I was actually more lenient with Deadindustry than I thought, but as might be a recurring theme, I was irrationally harsh toward anything that leaned into nu-adjacent grooves back then. Now, with some distance, I'm actually rather fond of this niche. I no longer have this disc, and I deeply regret that misstep, as I've had one hell of a time finding a copy to re-purchase. If you've got one you'd part with, hit me up!
Meathook Seed, Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth (Dream Catcher)
"Words cannot express how disappointed I am with this release. Their debut was a fucking classic, and this is trash."
I recall being enraged about this album at the time, and was especially over-critical of the vocals. It will never compete with Embedded, but over time I have grown to very much appreciate Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth, and return to it with some regularity.
Stuck Mojo, Declaration of a Headhunter (Century Media)
"I am very embarrassed to say that I really like a few moments on this CD, as I have always despised this band. I basically don't get into unfeeling, pseudo-mainstream 'rap-metal' that relies on basic chord structures and simplistic 'groove' elements..."
My anti-groove thrash roots would not permit me to tolerate this form of metal 25 years ago, despite some cracks in my facade. While there are still aspects of Stuck Mojo's lyrics/aesthetic that I'm not on board with, I can now admit that this album is very good. These days, if I see the phrase "rap-metal," I'm excitedly checking out whatever it is—especially if it's a release from 20 - 30 years ago!
