January 21, 2024

Various Artists - Sprung (Music From & Inspired By The Motion Picture) (1997)

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*A photo of the disc is included in the RAR file.
Country: U.S.A. 
Genre: Hip-Hop, R&B
Label Number: 9 46541-2

© 1997 Qwest/Warner Bros. Records
The soundtrack to Sprung, a clever urban romantic comedy, is unsurprisingly filled with smooth swingbeat and hip-hop, designed to appeal to the same audience as the film. Nothing on Sprung is too gritty -- it's all polished and upscale, which doesn't mean that there isn't anything soulful on the soundtrack. Indeed, the remix of Aaliyah's "One in a Million" and Monifah's "I Still Love You" are both first-rate, and the relatively harder rap of Jay-Z's "Who You Wit" and E-40's "Goal Tendin'" play well, but much of the record is devoted to introducing new Qwest artists like Keystone or developing groups like Next Level, who are good but not great. In other words, there aren't many heavy hitters and there aren't many revelations -- a good record for a party, but nothing more.

 tags: various artists, sprung, music from and inspired by the motion picture, soundtrack, ost, 1997, flac,
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January 20, 2024

Various Artists - Butter: The Soundtrack (1998)

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*A photo of the disc is included in the RAR file.
Country: U.S.A.
Genre: Hip-Hop, R&B, Funk
Label Number: 1672-2

© 1998 Relativity Records
*No professional reviews are available for this release.

 tags: various artists, butter the soundtrack, ost, 1998, flac,
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Various Artists - Kalifornia (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (1993)

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*A photo of the disc in included in the RAR file.
Country: U.S.A.
Genre: Hard Rock, Alternative Rock, Rock, Pop
Label Number: 314 519 620-2

© 1993 Polydor
An undistinguished rock sampler, the highlights of which are X's "Lettuce and Vodka" and David Baerwald's "Born for Love." Score composer Carter Burwell is restricted to one moody track.

 tags: various artists, kalifornia, original motion picture soundtrack, ost, 1993, flac,
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January 19, 2024

Messiah - Rotten Perish (1992)

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*U.S. first pressing. 
Contains 12 tracks total. 
Country: Switzerland
Language: English
Genre: Death Metal
Label Number: 9086-11018-2

© 1992 Futurist
*No professional reviews are available for this release.

 tags: messiah, rotten perish, 1992, flac,
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Messiah - Hymn To Abramelin (1986)

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*Reissued on CD for the first time in 2002 by Massacre Records. 
This pressing contains 13 tracks total.
Country: Switzerland
Language: English
Genre: Thrash Metal, Death Metal
Label Number: MAS CD0341

© 1986-2002 Massacre Records
Like precursors Venom and Hellhammer and successors Darkthrone and their ilk, Messiah fall into the "less-is-more" category of heavy metal. One listen to their 1986 debut Hymn to Abramelin reveals the production to be nearly non-existent, the songwriting at times underdone, the musicianship often sketchy (the drummer can't really keep time, but otherwise he's great!), but the end result to be ultimately brilliant! Yes, it's all very contradictory, but welcome to wacky world of mid-'80s European underground metal, where crude visionaries like Destruction, the aforementioned Hellhammer and, yes, Messiah, all merit thrones as prone to worship by the heavy metal faithful as those of far more commercially successful bands like Kreator, Celtic Frost, and Mercyful Fate. In effect, Hymn to Abramelin earned such distinction because of its simplicity -- by showing the kids that metal, like punk, could be performed with more heart than technical expertise. Propagating the white-knuckled aggression and anti-social, often Satanic lyrics typically attractive to heavy metal fans didn't hurt, either, and Messiah exploit that formula to the max on highlights including the instrumental title track and vicious thrashings like "Messiah," "Space Invaders," and "Total Maniac" -- many of which are introduced by perfectly apropos zombie-like, baritone recitations of demonic intent. Another favorite, "Thrashing Madness" is just that: two-and-a-half-minutes of frenetic instrumental flailing punctuated by horrid shrieks of despair; closing epic "The Dentist" finally breaks with the ultra-simple template to entertain some surprisingly inventive and complex riff orchestrations; and, among the various bonus tracks present on most CD re-issues, "Speed Fight" offers a furiously extended good time to go along with the remaining rough but entertaining demos. No surprise, then, that Hymn to Abramelin remains a favorite example of its kind to serious metal fans.

 tags: messiah, hymn to abramelin, 1986, flac,
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Messiah - Extreme Cold Weather (1987)

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*First pressing. 
Contains 15 tracks total.
Country: Switzerland
Language: English
Genre: Death Metal
Label Number: NB 032

© 1987-1990 Nuclear Blast
*No professional reviews are available for this release.

 tags: messiah, extreme cold weather, 1987, flac,
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Wench - A Tidy Sized Chunk (1991)

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Country: U.S.A.
Genre: Thrash Metal
Label Number: CORE 5 CD

© 1991 Metalcore
*No professional reviews are available for this release.

 tags: wench, a tidy sized chunk, 1991, flac,
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Not Fragile - Hard To Be Alive (1992)

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Country: Germany
Language: English
Genre: Speed Metal
Label Number: NF001

© 1992  Spastic Head Records
*No professional reviews are available for this release.

tags: not fragile, hard to be alive, 1992, flac,
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January 17, 2024

Hallows Eve - Death & Insanity (1994 Reissue) ☠

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*Reissued in 1994 by Metal Blade Records.
This pressing contains 10 tracks total.
Country: U.S.A.
Genre: Thrash Metal
Label Number: 3984-14059-2
☠: Selected by Buccaneer
© 1986-1994 Metal Blade Records
A thrash band from the mid-'80s, they were on everybody's mind in their heyday. "Death & Insanity" became an anthem of sorts, and thus became their most popular effort.

tags: hallows eve, death and insanity, 1986, 1994, reissue, flac,
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Various Artists - 9½ Weeks: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (1986)

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*A photo of the disc is included in the RAR file.
Country: U.S.A.
Genre: Pop Rock, Pop
Label Number: CDP 7 46722 2

© 1986 Capitol Records
Every Valentine's Day, video stores and online rental outlets are swamped with requests for the film this soundtrack represents. Crazy as it sounds, this tale of obsession, surrender, masochism, and domination really gets under the skin of some people over and over again. (For those who either don't remember or never knew, the film was an interpretation of a seemingly authentic account of just such an affair by a well-known socialite who wrote it under a nom de plume.) While the film might have a sort of timeless appeal -- Kim Basinger and Mickey Rourke were young then, and while one has aged gracefully, the other has become a plastic surgery disaster -- the soundtrack (which also experiences a bit of a sales spike during this holiday) has lost much of it. Certainly the theme song, "I Do What I Do," penned by John Taylor (right), Michael Des Barres, and Jonathan Elias and performed by them along with B.J. Nelson, Michael Brecker, and Dalbello, sounds so dated as to be almost laughable, as are contributions by Devo ("Bread and Butter"), Dalbello ("Black on Black"), and Corey Hart ("Eurasian Eyes"). Other cuts here have become classics (or already were): Bryan Ferry's "Slave to Love," Joe Cocker's "You Can Leave Your Hat On," and Eurythmics' "This City Never Sleeps." Still others, such as Luba's "The Best Is Yet to Come" and "Let It Go," are campy fun, and Stewart Copeland's moody "Cannes" is a miniature masterpiece that actually reflects something akin to incidental music in a film score.

 tags: various artists, 9 1/2 weeks original motion picture soundtrack, ost, 1986, flac,
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Danielle Dax - Dark Adapted Eye (1988)

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*U.S. first pressing. 
Contains 19 tracks total.
A photo of the disc is included in the RAR file.
Country: United Kingdom
Genre: Pop Rock, Pop
Label Number: W2 25818 (Club Edition)

© 1988 Sire Records
While Dark Adapted Eye is really just an expanded edition of Inky Bloaters for the American market -- minus one track from the original but with a slew of other cuts from other sources -- it does give the best possible case around for Danielle Dax' sometimes harrowing, often surprising art. The emphasis is certainly on her later stabs at commercial possibilities, which she has just as much of a knack and sense for as she does for heavy-duty experimentalism. A dominant influence on her work in this more mainstream vein is an interesting one; Marc Bolan whose cryptic lyrics and ear for a fuzz guitar hook inform some of the best moments here. Certainly "Big Hollow Man" is as excellent a revamp and updating of the classic T. Rex acoustic/electric boogie as many, but Dax makes her own stamp quite clear, ripping into the materialistic creep of the title with a snarl. The new cuts specifically done for the collection similarly work with such an addictive and attractive combination. "Cat-House" is a wonderfully sly -- in many senses of the word -- raucous opening number for the collection, while "White Knuckle Ride" lives up to its name. The absolute winner of the new cuts, though, is "Whistling for His Love," one of Dax' most straightforward numbers, and one of her most attractive, a good dance groove with a fine melody, great harmony singing from Dax and concluding sitar. David Knight makes for a fantastic collaborator; while he and Dax perform just about everything one way or another, making it impossible to immediately judge who is playing what, there's no question that what they come up with is winning throughout. The inclusion of other rarities like "Touch Piggy's Eyes" helps make Dark Adapted Eye a fantastic starting place for Dax newcomers.

tags: danielle dax, dark adapted eye, 1998, flac,
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Pagan - Pagan (1990)

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Country: Germany
Language: English
Genre: Heavy Metal
Label Number: CD US 18

© 1990 U.S. Metal Records
*No professional reviews are available for this release.

 tags: pagan, pagan album, 1990, flac
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Forced Entry - As Above, So Below (1991)

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*U.S. first pressing. 
Contains 10 tracks total.
Country: U.S.A.
Genre: Thrash Metal
Label Number: 88561-2024-2

© 1991 Relativity Records
As Above So Below is the final recording from Seattle-area thrash heroes Forced Entry. Musically similar to their earlier efforts, this 1991 Combat/Relativity records release boasts a punchier sound and slightly more technical material than prior efforts by the band. Brad Hull's guitar work is especially impressive, and his bandmates Collin Mattson (drums) and Tony Benjamins (bass and vocals) also deliver some creative and powerful performances of their own. The relentless and well-focused opener "Bone Crackin' Fever" and "When One Becomes Two" are highlights for sure, but the performances on As Above So Below are all very consistent, and although the same cannot be said for the material on this swan song, thrash fans unfamiliar with the regionally important Forced Entry might want to check out this their best sounding (if not best-realized) effort.

 tags: forced entry, as above so below, 1991, flac,
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Chalk FarM - Notwithstanding (1996) ☠

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*A photo of the disc is included in the RAR file.
Country: U.S.A.
Genre: Alternative Rock
Label Number: CK 67613
☠: Selected by Lass
© 1996 Columbia Records
Chalk FarM delivers a cohesive, endearing album with their debut release, Notwithstanding. The choruses on this record are littered with instantly recognizable hooks that filter into the brain in an almost osmotic way, creating a sense of familiarity even on the first listen. "Lie on Lie" was the only single to make a minor dent into airplay; however, with proper promotion there could have easily been five or six radio-friendly singles on this project. "Live Tomorrow," "Lesson," "Hey," and "The Girl Is Crying" all had the potential of launching Notwithstanding into the mainstream music scene. Michael Duff's vocals, faintly reminiscent of Toad the Wet Sprocket's Glen Phillips, compliment his rhythmic acoustic guitar sound while having the agility to hold up when Trace Ritter's heavier electric chords come to the forefront. Chalk FarM's Notwithstanding is proof that sometimes it takes more than the ability to craft interesting, infectious pop songs to make a mark on the ever-changing conscious of popular music.

 tags: chalk farm, notwithstanding, not with standing, 1996, flac,
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Yusef Afloat - Foreign Objects/Hard Times (2021)

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*This is a digital store download purchased from Bandcamp.
The files have been tagged and sorted for convenience.
All tracks were recorded between 1997 to 1999.
Country: U.S.A.
Genre: Hip-Hop
Label Number: None

© 2021 90's Tapes
*No professional reviews are available for this release. 

* Due to past abuse, comments for the Hip-Hop section have been disabled.


 tags: yusef afloat, foreign objects hard times, 2021, flac,
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January 14, 2024

Wargasm - Why Play Around? (1988)

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*First pressing. 
Contains 9 tracks total.
Country: U.S.A.
Genre: Thrash Metal
Label Number: PCD-1254

© 1988 Profile/Rock Hotel Records
*No professional reviews are available for this release.

 tags: wargasm, why play around, 1988, flac,
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Chimaira - Pass Out of Existence (2001)

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Country: U.S.A.
Genre: Metalcore
Label Number: 168 618 477-2

© 2001 Roadrunner Records
The perfect band for Roadrunner Records, Chimaira takes nu-metal syncopation and ideology, balances it with hints of death metal's angst-overdose (vocalist Mark Hunter has a distinctively brutal screech), and punctuates it with a more-than-expected electronic influx to create a fairly unique sound. The experimentation doesn't take away from the heaviness or accessibility, however, as the Cleveland group takes Fear Factory's noise to another level of intensity.

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Chimaira - The Impossibility of Reason (2003)

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Country: U.S.A.
Genre: Metalcore
Label Number: 19439883992

© 2021 Century Media
The Impossibility of Reason is the debut Roadrunner full-length for Chimaira, a Cleveland sextet that likes to think of itself as advance scouts of the NWOAHM, or New Wave of American Heavy Metal, a metal movement to rival the British heavy metal onslaught that conquered the world in the 1980s. And while almost two decades of metal music have made a fully original sound almost impossible, Chimaira comes out of the gate with enough key of C attitude to turn heads and get them banging. Metalcore is the name of the game here, as vocalist Mark Hunter channels the anguish and anger of hardcore's solitary vocalists over the two-headed muted riffing of guitarists Matt DeVries and Rob Arnold and Andols Herrick's stuttering, impossibly fast double bass clapping. While the presence of electronics and programming man Chris Spicuzza nods to modernity, contrived rock rapping and the pomposity of nu-metal have been mercifully removed from the equation. In this sense, Chimaira really is carrying forth with a revolution of sorts. Plus, they've grown long hair and mustaches, which is more genuine even than a set of Venom cover songs. At its best moments (the extended outro to "Eyes of a Criminal," the self-explanatory screed "Pure Hatred"), Impossibility recalls the furious intensity of Slayer. And when the band twists itself into a particularly adept hardcore hit squad for workouts like "Overlooked," it can really get the hair flying. "Cleansation," too, is a brain-warping excursion into classic-minded thrash, complete with right-angle stops and starts. If there's a fault with all of this sword-swallowing sonic fury, it's that Chimaira seems to only have one gear. The Impossibility of Reason starts to sound uninspired whenever it lingers on Alice in Chains-style vocal histrionics and (slightly) less hard guitars. But even this slight misstep is better than the vacuous posturing of countless other metal also-rans that have clogged the loud rock ranks in the last few years. The 16-plus minute epic that Chimaira closes The Impossibility of Reason with is just a little too ambitious. But the fact that it's on the album at all rings with genius in the halls of metal's fathers.

tags: chimaira, the impossibility of reason, 2003, flac,
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Lucifer - Lucifer IV (2021)

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Country: Germany
Language: English
Genre: Doom Metal
Label Number: 19439883992

© 2021 Century Media
LUCIFER have never been shy about proudly wearing their influences on their sleeves. The European group's latest record — simply titled "Lucifer IV" — sees vocalist Johanna Sadonis, drummer Nicke Andersson (THE HELLACOPTERS/ex-ENTOMBED),and returning guitarists Martin Nordland and Linus Björklund once again filtering those inspirations in a manner that capably overlays an aura of dark gloom while still managing to replicate the infectious warmth of the past. It is that mixing of atmospheres that keeps the group's wicked brew from coming off as mere regurgitation. The band's fourth record does have an extra layer of garage rock grime to its production, but their songwriting prowess combines with Sadonis's ever-entrancing croons resulting in another enthralling slab of darkness-infused heavy rockers.

The album contains multiple master classes that show off the group's ability to twist the past's songbooks just enough to pay homage while also weaving a fresh spin. Nods to early years BLACK SABBATH riffs are initially "Wild Hearses"'s main driver, but the band layers in additional touches of swaggering guitars and super-smooth bass lines as the track transitions into a hypnotic coda of melodic blues-rock and Sadonis's layered vocal harmonies. "Bring Me His Head"'s guitar tones and upbeat tempos could match the catchiness of a 1970's KISS performance on the "Midnight Special" television series, though the more sinister bent of the lyrics keep the track shrouded in darkness. "Louise" evokes the powerful trudge of DEEP PURPLE's forays into boogie-rock and punctuates the song with a hearty helping of Southern-rock guitar.

Nordland and Björklund's guitar work — each now making their second appearance on record with "Lucifer IV" — also feels more confidently woven into the band's sound. The duo proves to be a rare breed with their ability to generate a feeling of comforting warmth during every peak and coda, even during moments of shrieking shred. Solos that may sound jarring and out-of-place in lesser hands end up adding to "Archangel Of Death"'s garage-doom feel and complementing "Mausoleum"'s devilishly ominous organ/keyboard work. The duo's proficiency in palatable guitar work also lends an especially satisfying backdrop for Sadonis's beautiful comedown croons on the album-closing "Phobos". All while Andersson and Björklund's combined production forces result in an organic "live" feel that enhances the proceedings of the entire album as a whole without overpowering and drowning the band's innate chemistry in layers of muddy sound.

The way that LUCIFER's lineup has evolved from their 2015 debut has assisted in fulfilling their first record's promised potential. The thrilling rock put forward on "Lucifer IV", combined with what appears to be a more permanent stability in band personnel, is a reassuring document of what will hopefully continue to come from the group moving forward.

 tags: lucifer, lucifer iv, 2021, flac,
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January 12, 2024

Intruder - A Higher Form of Killing (1989)

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*U.S. first pressing. 
Contains 10 tracks total.
Country: U.S.A.
Genre: Thrash Metal
Label Number: 7 72416-2

© 1989 Metal Blade Records
Intruder may not have been Nashville's first but they were definitely the city's best-known thrash band. Veterans of various local punk and metal outfits, Intruder built upon the speed metal sound pioneered by bands like Metallica and Megadeth, adding elements of what would later become known as "progressive metal" to their unrelenting aural attack. Fueled by the phenomenal virtuosity of guitarist Arthur Vinett, the throaty growl of vocalist James Hamilton, and the songwriting skills of drummer John Pieroni, Intruder built a large cult following across the United States and in Europe on the strength of their brutal live performances. A Higher Form of Killing, the band's second album and their first for Metal Blade Records, picks up the pace pretty much where Intruder had left off with their self-produced debut, Live to Die. Taking its title from the groundbreaking 1982 book on chemical and biological warfare by British journalists Robert Harris and Jeremy Paxman, Pieroni's lyrics on A Higher Form of Killing mix a high-tech doom-and-gloom worldview with a science-fiction landscape that has much in common with Voivod. "The Martyr" compares Middle Eastern suicide bombers with radical Christian fundamentalists, "Genetic Genocide" touches upon DNA therapy a decade or so before its widespread use, and "Killing Winds" explores the use of chemical weapons on the battlefields of Europe. The high point of A Higher Form of Killing, however, is a manic cover of the Monkees' hit "(I'm Not Your) Stepping Stone," the pop/rock chestnut revved up and delivered with all the subtlety of the business end of a sledge-hammer. A strong collection of chainsaw speed metal, A Higher Form of Killing put the so-called band from "Thrashville" on the musical map alongside genre giants like Nuclear Assault.

 tags: intruder, a higher from of killing, 1989, flac,
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Toxik - Think This (1989) ☠

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*U.S. first pressing. 
Contains 12 tracks total.
Country: U.S.A.
Genre: Thrash Metal
Style: Technical Thrash Metal
Label Number: RRD 9460
☠: Selected by Buccaneer
© 1989 Roadracer Records
Like many late-'80s metal outfits, New York's Toxik took such a cerebral approach to music that their songs often came across sounding like boring math problems or history classes instead of exhilarating art lessons. They even named their second and final album from 1989 Think This -- perhaps because they already anticipated that simply "listening to this" might not be enough. Well OK, surely not, but too much thinking is exactly what's required from all those who would dare to approach incredibly overwrought and stylistically scattered dexterity exercises such as "Greed," "Shotgun Logic," and the perfectly titled, inadvertently self-descriptive "Technical Arrogance." All are reminiscent of contemporary bands like Watchtower, Non-Fiction, and Hades, in that the duress of deciphering their Byzantine arrangements is possibly only less challenging than withstanding the high-pitched, glass-shattering vocal style (here shrieked by one Charles Sabin) that was so popular in those days. Elsewhere, Toxik also take some inspiration from local heroes Anthrax on thrashier but somewhat atonal numbers like "Black and White" and the title track; rarely hesitate to interject synths into the mix when they feel like it; surprisingly cover Led Zeppelin III's "Out on the Tiles" (terribly!); and arguably sound most at ease on the unusually deliberate and melodic trad-metal departure, "There Stood the Fence" (more fluid in style, à la Queensrÿche or Fifth Angel). And then there's the final "shred" element provided by the group's chief architect, Josh Christian, whose dazzling fretwork gymnastics may offer entertainment enough in spite of the songwriting deficiencies cited above. In short, although it's abundantly clear why Toxik's music failed miserably from a commercial point of view, there's bound to be something worthwhile here for progressive metal fans looking for performance as much as actual songwriting.

 tags: toxik, toxic, think this, 1989, flac,
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Jale - So Wound (1996) ☠

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Country: Canada
Language: English
Genre: Hip-Hop
Label Number: SPCD 350/98787-0350-2
☠: Selected by Lass
© 1996 Sub Pop
Jale's utterly infectious So Wound is a manic pop thrill, a superb collection of sweet-and-sour songs laced with wit, intelligence and poignancy. Crisply produced by Brad Wood, the record's 14 tracks (13 listed, one bonus) are fresh and sassy, combining the sweet harmonies and gleaming songcraft of the girl-group era with post-punk attitude and edge; while each song is a gem, the chiming "All Ready," the buzzing "Ali" and the snotty "Over You" are standouts.

 tags: jale, so wound, 1996, flac,
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