Alcohol can do strange things to one’s mind. I probably don’t need to tell you that, but it’s my way of saying the whisky I had consumed late into the night activated specific nostalgic pathways, and I found myself going back to the series of posts I did where I revisited a bunch of the metal I had collected some 15-20 years ago when I was re-engaging with what the genre of metal had become at that time. It’s been six years (pour one out for the fact I’ve been writing for this site for over six years now) since I last looked at the Binder: was that really all there was? Was that indeed, as I wrote at the time, the Final Chapter?

No, fellow journey person, it was not. And so, slightly hungover but enthusiastic, I present to you nine more cuts from the dusty tomb tucked away beneath the futon in my office. For this edition of Nine Circles ov…, I give you The Return of the Binder of Forgotten Metal.

—

Bison – Quiet Earth: Part of the sludgy pack of bands coming out in the mid to late 00s, Bison (or Bison B.C. owing to legal issues with the band name) craft some serious stoner sludge that emphasizes strong riffs and integrated moments of melody that seamlessly integrate. The crunch is particularly nasty on the tail end of “Dark Tower” and “Slow Hands of Death”. It’s not all dirt and head clobbering , though: the band have no trouble getting their epicness on with the two part “Wendingo” featuring a more progressive cadence bands like Mastodon would be perfecting around the same time (2008). I remember sticking around for the next album, 2010’s Dark Ages which yielded similar results. Since then the band released two more albums, their most recent in 2017 and still led by the dual guitar and vocal team of James Gnarwell and Dan And.

Verdict: I think this was purely a case of moving on to other styles of music and needing space. Quiet Earth proves to still rock hard and steady, bringing enough memorable riffs to resurrect it from the Binder.

—

Capricorns – Ruder Forms Survive: I guess it didn’t matter what sub-genre you were playing in: the rule of the day was to make it sludgy. You wouldn’t think instrumental progressive metal would work in that context, but Ruder Forms Survive, the debut from UK’s Capricorns proves otherwise. The “progressive” elements are more in the diverse movements within each track as opposed to wild virtuosic playing and complex time signatures. Tracks like “1969: A Predator Among Us” pulse ahead with a crushing 4/4 meter, but the tonality shifts and slides to encompass a variety of moods – all weighted with the inevitability of doom. I’m still not sure why the album kicks off with about 12 seconds of silence before the opening riff of “1977: Blood for Papa” comes in, unless it’s to keep you off balance so the hit is even harder. I remember being annoyed back in 2005; it’s more understandable and enjoyable now. That goes double for “The First Broken Promise” which does have vocals, although I’d be hard pressed to really call whatever is happening “vocals” – it’s a sound to behold, though.

Verdict: I’m really digging how well the bands gels, and the sludge tone is super tight and loose, if that makes sense. I fell like I was harder on their second release for some reason, but since I’m not reviewing that one, I’ll bring this back into rotation.

—

Confessor – Unraveled: I imagine the Chris of 2005 loved this. Strong, Alice in Chains vocals mixed with a solid doom metal sound that mixed some progressive rhythms and sharp, modern guitar riffing. The syncopated middle section of “Until Tomorrow” is killer. Unraveled was the band’s second album, but it came out 14 years after their 1991 debut, so the AiC touchpoint feels valid. But as much as the sound of Confessor is rooted in their grunge beginnings the music on tracks like “Wigstand” and the percussive forward “Hibernation” feel anything but dated. Although the band have yet to release anything since, they’re still listed as active as of 2019, so there’s hope we’ll get more gnarled technical doom in the future.

Verdict: Probably obvious from the last sentence, but yeah. Great album, and one I’ll be adding to my metal playlists.

—

Exodus – Let There Be Blood: Two things are immediately clear upon relistening to this odd entry in Exodus’s discography: 1) Rob Dukes was a GREAT vocalist for the band, and the studio albums he made with Exodus are pretty uniformly excellent, but 2) this is a completely useless album. More of a curiosity than anything else, there’s nothing on Let There Be Blood that improves on what the band released back 1985’s incendiary debut. I’m not vehemently opposed to re-recordings: the staff has been slobbering over how good the recent updates the Cavalera Brothers made to Seputura’s Morbid Visions and Beastial Devastation are. But those original album, while wild and fun, always sounded like utter shit, and the ferocity of the new recordings are a huge improvement. Bonded by Blood was and remains an untouchable classic, and I find little reason to come to this 2008 update when I have the purity of tracks like”And Then There Were None” and “A Lesson in Violence” already burned into my brain.

Verdict: Back in the binder, but I’ll probably bring Shovel Headed Kill Machine out for another spin.

—

Fisson – Crater: And so we return to Mr. V., a man whose many musical hats I wrote about around the last time I did a Forgotten Binder entry. In fact I wrote about the second album from Fission, Vintersorg’s collaboration with his drummer Benny Hägglund taking over writing and performing duties. I was largely ambivalent about 2008’s Pain Parade, and this debut from 2004 doesn’t fare much better. The production is razor thin, and despite V.’s ability to craft a tasty chorus, there’s nothing here to really engage the listener. Songs blend together in a way that nothing really lingers for more than a few seconds, and I’d be hard pressed to recommend any one song over the other. Maybe “Empty Nimbus”? It’s not only the shortest song, but the opening riff has a little bit of swagger and life that the rest of Crater is really missing.

Verdict: Maybe for hardcore Vintersorg fans. Not for me.

—

Lair of the Minotaur – Carnage: My lord, the bass sound on opening track “Carnage Fucking Carnage” is the sonic equivalent of the mythical beast depicted on the cover of the Chicago, IL band’s debut from 2004. So it’s weird that it doesn’t stand out on the rest of the album. Everything is turned up to 10 and in your face, and while I get the whole “wanting to tear the flesh from your bones” stance of metal production, this unfortunately sounds washed out and lacking in really appreciating whatever is going on in the maelstrom of tunes like “The Wolf” and the awesomely titled “Caravan of Blood Soaked Kentauroi”. To these old ears they got progressively better with each release, and the sound they came up with on 2010’s War Metal Battle Master (to date their final album) plays to their strengths much better than the decapitating rush of Carnage.

Verdict: Meh, I can see folks digging this, but not really my bag due to the rough production. Back it goes into the dark.

—

Red Knife Lottery – So Much Drama: Hyper garage punk our of Wisconsin that just revels in bright, aggressive noise. Vocalist Ashley Chapman is the secret weapon, tailoring her voice to slice like a razor or caress like a whisper without a nanosecond’s notice. It helps noticeably that for all its glitching and electronic moments it never feels artificial or synthesized; the production is warm and feels organic. I absolutely love the drums, and the whole thing (six songs in 18 minutes) recalls the wave of rock coming out in droves a decade earlier. Come for the frantic rush of opener “Samantha Brown Get Down! Get Down!” and stay for mid-EP tracks “The Magnificent Ghost” and “Call-Girls in Pink Hospitals.”

Verdict: I love this record, and it’s been a digital mainstay in my playlists despite being relegated to the binder. Probably my favorite album in this list.

—

Scissorfight – Jaggernaut: One listen of opening track “Dynamite” and recall exactly why I picked this album up. This is a punkier, more hardcore Clutch. Jaggernaut was the band’s fifth album, so it comes with at least a decade of experience (their debut was in 1996) and it shows in the tightness of the riffing throughout Jaggernaut, which I will always and forever pronounce as Jāgernaut, despite the title track clearly telling me it;’s not the case. The whole album is a head banging, beer-swilling blast, you know, kinda like Clutch? I can’t help the comparison, and neither could they I imagine, which might explain the decade long absence after this album. They’re back (although with a more hardcore singer) but a quick listen to 2019’s Doomus Abruptus, Vol. 1 shows the band continuing their tongue-in-cheek rock and roll attack.

Verdict: Hells, yeah. Poor decision to bury this, it’s coming on vacation with me.

—

Warbringer – Worlds Torn Asunder: Warbringer arrived smack dab in the middle of the neo-thrash revival, and that should put me square in its sights. But like much of that movement, clinical precision and modern production can hide a lot of the sameness that permeated so many of these bands. Worlds Torn Asunder should have a little more personality considering it’s the band’s third release, but despite having all the requirements of a quality thrash album: chugging riffs, harmonized leads and tight solos, nothing sticks. If there’s a song with some stick to it, it’s “Future Ages Gone” with its gradual descent into high clipping madness.

Verdict: Absolutely fine thrash, but ultimately harmless. I wouldn’t turn it off, but I wouldn’t reach for it, either. Except apparently I did back in 2011. So make of that what you will.

—

Nostalgia (and alcohol) is a funny thing. We never truly remember the way things were, but it’s nice to find the pins and pricks that work against the skin in surprising ways. And I’m sure another night will bring another bout, and who knows? Maybe there are more pages in the Binder of Forgotten Metal to discover.

-Chris

---

Everything above is readily available from your streaming platform of choice. But I’d be remiss if I didn’t also tell you that if you dig something above, why not seek it out and grab an actual physical copy?