Crossover Quarterly #1: 5 Nugs of Metal Mania for Norman Coreman

We luv u dark continent--goodnight.

1. Power Trip's Future in Film Scoring
After SXSW 2012, my GF became the first member in our relationship to see Power Trip live. She describes the experience as "horrifying" because she saw a 12 year old get brained with a trash can. This was all it took to get me to set up an interview with Riley, their vocalist. We talked all manner of nuggety shit, namely: Monster Magnet and LSD. Here's an excerpt for a "forthcoming" interview which has been in development hell since iOS 5.

 If you could lend one Power Trip song (let's just say "Hammer of Doubt") to any film scene what film do you choose?  

I'd either replace Cannibal Corpse in Ace Ventura Pet Detective with us performing instead of them, or redo the soundtrack to Wayne's World with all our songs so Wayne and Garth come across as actual metal-heads and not two assholes who listen to Aerosmith. -Riley Gale

Beyond the realms of DEF

2. Bob Belmonte Beyond the Realms of Death
Because Rock N' Roll Disgrace is the best label ever (The reaper logo, rubber stamps and the Battle Ruins EP make it so) I conducted an interview with CEO/head honch Bob Belmonte where the conversation quickly drifted from Mott the Hoople and The Bruisers to mustachioed rockers of seasons's past. Who doesn't have an opinion on Judas Priest though? Here's Bob's. 

Judas Priest or Iron Maiden? 

Priest = Stained Class = bottom of the gene pool kids try to blow their heads off to it and now one looks like gonzo = I listen to this once a day = when I'm buried, a cassette walkman will be on my head playing “Beyond The Realms of Death” = if I was gonna be the "point of entry" for some dude it would be Bob Halford! (laughs).

This is a MAAAD world

3. Reed Mullin and The Obsessed getting salty about punx + signing to Metal Blade (feat. Slayer)

In the time I've written for music mags, I've never really gotten too "star struck" (except when I interviewed Wyndorf ). When C.O.C.'s self-titled record dropped, I got to chat with Reed Mullin and the discussion was every bit as nerdy and nuggety as I could've hoped. Talk of Void, Pushead, DC hardcore and a ton of other material that didn't make it to print. Here was one of my favorite anecdotes, transcribed by me from a digital recorder. Read the piece that made it online here. 

Me: I dig all the different "eras" of C.O.C, but honestly Animosity is my favorite. I heard it when I was super into Metallica and DRI and it just fit while my cement was wet. And since Animosity came out on Metal Blade... 

Mullin: (laughs) I've got a good story about Metal Blade. We'd done some touring off of Eye for an Eye, and for its time it was pretty "crossover." When we played live, it sounded pretty heavy and it was a weird thing for an American Hardcore band to have as much metal influence as we did. For one song we used the word "cornucopia" and the song "Redneckkk" is just a Black Sabbath song sped up! We did lots of touring and became friends with that first generation of thrash bands like Death Angel, Dark Angel, Metallica, Slayer and Anthrax. Their scene was still in the beginning ages, relatively small compared to how big it got later. We were friends with Slayer and got a show on their first American tour, I think it was Haunting the Chapel, in Baltimore. At the time we were pretty popular in Baltimore and the bill was The Obsessed, Slayer and us. So we get there and we're all stoked because we usually have good shows in Baltimore, and this is when Slayer was touring in a Trans-Am and a U-Haul trailer. But there's some hubbub because the Obsessed refused to headline for a "punk" band, so there was some drama. The place was packed anyway, but it made Tom [Araya] and Dave Lombardo and the rest of those guys mad like 'we don't know these fuckin' Obsessed guys!' and we were kinda like 'who cares? let's just play. The place is packed.' It was a great show and as we're packing our stuff and the Obsessed is setting up, Slayer and their roadies took the stage. 'Now we're gonna play so you don't have to play with a 'punk' band.' Anyway, Slayer plays and it's like a popcorn machine with people flying all over the stage. After the show they're loading up their trailer and Lombardo and Tom were like 'dude, you guys gotta get signed!' and getting signed back then was an anomaly for a band like us. They offered to talk to Brian Slagel for us. It was nice of 'em, but I didn't think anything would happen. Sure enough though, Monday morning in my Dad's office fax machine, there was a contract with Metal Blade … and that's how we ended up putting out Animosity. Slayer hooked us up!

"WTF! Cinderella?!"

4. This drawing of Jorge Merauder watching Headbanger's Ball with "Bong in Hand."

The title pretty much "speaks for itself" here (-Stigma), but for background context: somewhere along the way, I conceptualized a zine that exclusively dissected metal/HC vids from the Headbanger's Ball era. The project fizzled out (mostly because the other writer was flakey) and since I had too much on my plate I scrapped it. Videos we had planned (including corresponding illustrations): Morbid Angel "Rapture," Pantera "5 Minutes Alone", Biohazard "Punishment," Voivoid "Astronome Domine" and of course Merauder's "Master Killer". The above image of Jorje was to be the cover, though we never really did come up with a title. It was the spiritual predecessor to Crossover Quarterly though (itself a paper zine that will probably happen once every 8 years). For now, just enjoy the image and think about what could have been. Seriously. Imagine Jorje, seated in his throne from the "Master Killer," throwing shit at his TV every time Rachtman made the call for Poison's "Satisfaction."   

"This next song is called 'Chopped in Half', and it's about the price of fettucini alfredo every Tuesday."

5. This crayon drawing of Obituary

I hate going out to eat at "nice" places. I hate getting dressed up. I hate paying $68 for soup served in a bowl no bigger than a sacrament cup. I hate how they don't put "$" next to their prices in the menu (fooled us guys!). Essentially, I just hate every facet of the whole GD experience. On occasion I can talk my girlfriend (you know, the one who saw Power Trip before I did in the first paragraph?) into eating at dumpy suburban chain restaurants like Olive Garden. I dig these joints. They don't bat an eye when I ask for crayons and a children's menu, and you can bet your ass that unlimited breadsticks and a Ginger Ale isn't going to run me an entire day's wage. Here's a good, waxy memory from a weird time in my life. Indeterminate members of Obituary (it's actually based off a "Threatening Skies" vid I found on Y-tube) scratched out entirely in shitty Rose-Art crayons (more wax than actual pigment) that restaurants always have. My girlfriend is perpetually embarrassed of me and my (lack of) taste...and this is certainly no exception. Unbenownt to her though, this drawing is hanging up at an Olive Garden somewhere in Sandy, Utah and so that's basically like having it hanging on Guido God's fridge. 

Those Who Were: DRUG DOGS DUMB iTUNES DUMP #1

Here's a section in which I hit "shuffle" and do mini-reviews on the first 5 songs that come up. It's stupid, and many of these songs will be stupid, but sometimes it's just hard to come up with things to write about. 

1.

Excessive Force - "Those Who Were" (In Your Blood; Life Sentence Records) 
The web (and dorko  90's nostalgists) have spilled enough ink over this song's opening couplet ("you said you'd always be true/but you're a weak motherfucker and you never had it in you") but I'd still like to call attention to the profound poetry of one of Salty City's finest exports. Having just finished an agonizing tour of duty behind the Zion curtain, I tend to give Salt Lake City a hard time about their hardcore (historically: lotta sizzle, very little steak IMO) and Excessive Force (or Xcessive Force, which is a way better moniker) is no exception. I'm hesitant to call this record "good" though I do enjoy listening to it a fair amount at the gym, when I'm pipe-bombing a McDonalds or other such ventures. "Those Who Were" features a drum sound that fluctuates between "Ball-peen hammer on a lead pipe" and "soggy noodle on wet cardboard" but those vocals sound legitimately unhinged and when you're 16  and SUPER into straight edge, it probably sounded like god speaking directly to you. I'm also a geek for all the weird guitar stuff they tried to pull off (check "In Your Blood," the track) and some of the off-kilter batshit riffing that made it into this song. Tempo changes galore, gang vox and yadda yadda. Definitely worth checking out for historical purposes, but if you're only tentatively interested in 90's monster-core, you're probably going to struggle making it through this entire album. Wise choice to put this as the leadoff track though. 

2.
Next Step Up - "Sweet Leaf" (Fall from Grace, Gain Ground)
A Cover that falls into the "so bad I can't stop listening to it" category. Don't mistake me, the riffs are spot on, but the vocals really don't do justice to the almighty Sab. I get it. Covers are supposed to inject something new into the song, so this is cool as a novelty, it just kind of feels like a throwaway on the end of the album. Fav Next Step Up track is their contribution ("L.A. Story") to the East Coast Assault comp. vol 1. Because you asked. Also, this doesn't have any solos on it. Just lettin you know. 

3. 

Power Trip - "Hammer of Doubt (April Fools Version)" (Omegas Joy Boy Mixtape Vol. 3) 
There are, to my knowledge, three versions of this song and like any good Dad, I love them all equally and for different reasons (but will also admit that I like the one on the Triple B comp just a TEENY bit more than all the others). What's more to be said about Power Trip? Remember back in the Armaggedon Blues era when they couldn't GET rid of all their 7"s? Times have changed. I did a Drug Dogs interview with Riley that will probably end up on the internet someday. We talked about baseball and Monster Magnet. 

What's special about this particular version of the song is that it's crappy cassette quality and features new falsetto/screech vocals (seemingly done by Udo Dirkschneider) and an added melodic chanting bit at the end (gregorian chant style). Awesome. Pure awesome. Everything this band does is awesome. For once, the internet was right about something! (No youtube vid for this one. Sorry bunky.) Also, I'd like to point out that this mixtape has added band names like Candy Randy and the Gay Boys, Woo Ric Woo Flair Woo and Heavy Metal Eric into my iTunes library. Thanx guys. 

 4.
Fit for Abuse - "Prefabricated" (Mindless Violence, Crust)
Criminally underrated beantown 'core, fast and punky a'la Negative Approach and The FU's, created in a time of JNCOs, Open E notes and vegan apologetics. Absolutely essential. No question. This one's a minute long and features a phat and phunky beat. Get this 7". Get everything they did or pose forever. 

5. 
Our Gang - "Out of Hand" (Uprising Demo)
Late 80's NYHC that was always on my periphery (due to a smattering of awesome logos and demo covers) but I never really checked out until mid-college when I discovered Blogged and Quartered. The songs from the Uprising demos appeared other places, but sound-quality wise, these are the best. "Out of Hand" features an awesome riff and a "skank it up!" mosh call. Perfect ingredients for a rippin lil' tune. 

Brainwave

Mail day. Power Trip 7" with a cool lil' LOC sticker. A Texas band that does crossover the right way and who can freely admit to being Prong fans. (Oh, so you just now noticed how many Prong riffs are on the Bad Seed 7"? You're a dummy). Drug Dogs interview is imminent.