Word on the Street - "Streets is Watching + Demo" (Demo Dogz #7)

Lizard King

This ain't exactly new, but I've been told that it was recently dubbed onto a tape along with the demo, made available for those lucky ducks who went to Not Dead Yet. Also this band's from Halifax. I don't know anything about that area except it's cold in the winter time (right?)

Looking at the cover probably psyches a lot of people out. Genndy Tartakovsky-esque monster thugs posing hard in an alley. I was duped into thinking this would be bad Third Tier LOC worship, because of the serious Risky Biz vibe, but this honestly sounds like Straight Ahead's Breakaway 12" melting (or being played at 33 RPM). Rev era Sick Of It All too. Just like full-bore retarded. Anyway the mutant mongoloids on the cover are perfect indicators for the kind of 'core kept within. 

The vocals have that strange razor-thin mix of tuff-dude bellowing and down syndrome drooling. The Celtic Frost/Sheer Terror tonal breakdown in "H.R.M. Mayhem" is straight NASTY, like kitty litter gargling in a garbage disposal, and the "Cut to the Chase" weird psyche-out/double tracked vocals are glorious and evil. Nutshell? I love this. I think it'll take a few listens to sink in for many, but this is how 'core I like it.

Buy and D/L at their bandcamp here.

S.O.D - "Noise, That's What" (Dylan's Dumb iPod #20)

Tha number one Obese

I'm not sure Bigger than the Devil was entirely necessary and it's not without it's share of disappointments. Maybe S.O.D was cash strapped and they decided that because of Nuclear Assault's inactivity and Anthrax's shittiness, they'd try to resurrect some old glories. I'm not sure the approach worked entirely, but who am I to say?

They say a joke's never funny the second time and to those people I say: absolutely true...except for this one that I made as a first grader.

Note the botched Ghostbusters logo

In S.O.D's case, satirizing cultural icons (Michael Huchens) and even some antique metallers (Celtic Frost and King Diamond) bring a chuckle or two, but nothing from the deep belly. Still though, Celtic Frosted Flakes....what do you think these taste like? My guess is kitter litter and Zürcher Eintopf.

"I like mine with a glass of Cold Lake"

Ultimately, Bigger Than the Devil is only for completists, nowhere near as essential as the deathless Speak English or Die and shows the band's shtick running a bit tired.

"Noise, That's What" is likely a clever play on the famed "What's That Noise?" track from the aforementioned debut. It's an instrumental that features a slappy groove element that surely pissed off lots of thrash kids while appealing heavily to fat zitty douchebags in Fear Factory hoodies. Many of them rode my middle school bus, and they universally smelled of lunchmeat.

The guitar tone is cool, and if the album were more famous or respected, HC bands would totally cop it and use it for a mosh intro along with "March of the SOD"...but it's not and so they don't. It does serve as a good segue into "We All Bleed Red" though. S.O.D is S.O.D, but this is them at their tiredest and least relevant.