Black Mountain

In the Future

(Jagjaguwar, 2008)

Whatever manner in which you want to refer (not reefer) to these Canadians lends no insight into what this music was, is or will become. In the Future has the ability to touch upon every music you love and probably some that you really don’t ever want to think about. From a referential stand point, one must know that Black Mountain and Pink Mountaintops share members – and I’m sure comparisons can be leveled, but really it won’t matter.

Even the unsettling, yet plain cover art seems to recall bloated bands, or maybe Uriah Heep, but a bit less colorful. And if you like Uriah Heep, all the better. If you like T-Rex, that’ll bolster your ability to appreciate this disc. Mentioning every musical reference point, for any band currently, seemingly becomes an exercise in time murder.

The sticker that arrived on the jewel case along with this disc states that Black Mountain are “Psych-and-prog-spiritual pioneers.” I believe that if you refer to musics that have already been created, merged, exploited and regurgitated, there can’t be new pioneers. Obviously, Black Mountain suffers from an overtly constructed image, or their handlers are a crew of stoned-dolts.

I’m not really afraid of anything from Canada except for D.O.A. and Wayne Gretzky. But the positioning of this group as bringers of apocalyptic doom, potentially depicted on their discs cover, is immediately refuted during any keyboard line from “Stormy High” or “Wucan” (which does have a very surprising and pleasant kraut feel).

Some of the bands’ offerings stray from their overwhelmingly proggy posturing. There’re a few enlivening points when it seems as if the group wants to launch into country-rock mode. The problem with this and a good portion of the album in general, is that lyrically, much of this disc deals with being trapped and needing to escape those that intend to do you harm. Unfortunately, the culprits often time end up being witches or demons, which are way less scary than D.O.A. or Wayne Gretzky.

Bathtub Shitter

Dancehall Grind

(Super Hit Jam Records, 2005)

This Japanese band wants their metal to be so intense that it hurts your insides. Partially, Bathtub Shitter attempts this by utilizing two vocalists; one with a deep voice, one with a ridiculously high pitched voice. So, really, the band comes off as somewhat of a gimmick or a joke half the time. But the rest of the time, the band is tight and horrifically brutal enough to be ahead of the newer crop of grind acts. They’ve been around for about a decade, so they’ve had time to hone their craft and become a rather good metal outfit. Most of these tracks will end up sounding similar to one another, unless you are a metal connoisseur. But, there are a few stabs at experimentation though. “Shit Drop” has some really beautiful acoustic finger picked guitar, while “Stihs Latem” is backwards and oddly enough comes across as more metal than the last decade or so of Metallica. All of this just makes me more curious about the cultural exchange between the USA and Japan. Regardless, the lyrics are convoluted expressions of angst that would probably come across more intelligently, in their native tongue, which really isn’t the point. Buy it for the titles, listen to it for the high pitched screamer, enjoy it for no other reason than it’s metal.