Throwback Thursday: Amebix – “Arise!”

amebix arise

With Tau Cross’ self-titled album (which picks up where Amebix’s 2011 release left off) gracing so many “Best of 2015” lists and Killing Joke (to whom so many compare Amebix) releasing their fifteenth studio album Pylon on October 23, 2015 there’s never been a better time to discuss Amebix’s debut LP, Arise! Released in 1985 on Alternative Tentacles, Arise! forever changed the heavy music scene by blending the burgeoning, aggressive sound of crust punk with elements of metal and gothic metal to make a crossover album for generations to come. Amebix would go on to release only three albums in their entire career although, those three albums would be landmark releases. Those other releases are: Monolith, in 1987 and then Sonic Mass another twenty-four years later in 2011.

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Album Review: Hateful Abandon – “Liars/Bastards”

hateful abandon cover art 2

Bristol, U.K.-based Hateful Abandon are anything but a conventional black metal outfit. From the band’s founding in 2004, Vice Martyr (the band’s sole member at the time) has maintained an interest in genre blending. And following the enlistment of Swine, (from the eponymous Somerset, U.K., band) that concept remains alive and well on their third release, Liars/Bastards. In particular, there’s an obvious salute to roots anarcho-punk, including legends like Crass. There is something revolutionary about Hateful Abandon—something that, much like the best anarcho-punk bands, makes you feel part of the club.

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