bongripper

this band rules. HARD. they play some of the heaviest and sickest riffs ever and their melodic side is fucking tight too. smoke weed. hail satan. 'nuff said.

Hippie Killer - My favorite bongripper album. perfect from start to finish. Best songs are "Reefer Sutherland," "Terrible Bear Attack," "The People Mover," and "Her Highness."

 The Great Barrier Reefer - basically one long hour song (although it definetly feels like it has different movements). Really fucking good.

Heroin - kinda noisy and experimental. I'm not much of a fan, but it's alright.

Hate Ashbury - very solid. starts off slow, but gets really fucking good around part III.

wolves in the throne room

WITTR is Southern Lord's new champion of ambient black metal. "The band is well known for their eco-spiritual vision, which they consider to be a step beyond the vision offered by satanic, fascistic and nihilistic black metal. They often state that traditional black metal should be seen as a jumping-off point in a process of continual spiritual growth, and not an end unto itself." - wiki

I'm not really into black metal because it's "for geeks that aren't even cool enough to play dungeons and dragons," but this band is pretty sweet. Two Hunters and Diadem of 12 Stars are my favorites.

2006 Diadem of 12 Stars

 2007 Two Hunters

 2009 Black Cascade

 2009 Malevolent Grain

Boris with Keiji Haino: Black - Implication Flooding

1998 Black - Implication Flooding - is a collaborative live album with Keiji Haino. It's really abstract and noisy, it kinda sounds like KTL with more noise than ambiance.

sunn O))) & Pan Sonic 10inch

Che [FLAC] is a song (from their split with Alan Vega and Stephen Burroughs) sunn/Pan Sonic did with Joe Preston who is the fucking man (he's the Melvins' bass player, and he's also in High On Fire, Thrones, and has done work with Harvey Milk).

This song kinda sounds like the theme from the Halloween movies..... if it was drone. The album is actually sealed inside out (the artwork is on the inside). It's a hand drawn image of light reflecting on the ocean (which Coulter Jacobson drew while looking at it)....and then the other side is the same thing but drawn from memory.

sunn O)))

although sunn O)))'s sound/feel is a little different on each album, their methodology remains fairly consistent and anyone who has heard them can tell a sunn song from any other drone band. so, i decided to upload their discography in two parts (chronologically) since i'm kinda of the opinion that you either love or hate sunn. there really is no in between, either you understand and appreciate what they're trying to say with their music, or you don't (and you're lame and close minded).

sunn O))) is Stephen O'Malley (of KHANATE and Burning Witch) and Greg Anderson (of Goatsnake). 
This duo is named after the Sunn amplifier brand, whose logo includes a circle next to the "SUNN" banner with waves heading off to the right (the band use this logo in the cover art of many releases); a literal interpretation of the logo produces "Sunn O)))". In interviews Stephen O'Malley has stated the name was also chosen as a play on the name of the band Earth, pioneers of drone music throughout the 1990s, reasoning that Sunn O))) "revolved around Earth." 

i'm not going to post all the info/photos of their discography, partially because i'm lazy, and partially because i've already posted this band's disco on my other (failed) blogs.

I will talk a little bit about my favorite sunn records though....

 
ØØ Void [FLAC] - this album starts off really strong with one of the best opening riffs of all time in "Richard" and it has a sweet Melvins cover of Hung Bunny from Lysol (which happens to be my favorite melvins album).

Flight of the Behemoth [FLAC] - i think this album is where sunn really started to find their vibe. "Mocking Solemnity/Death Becomes You" is a perfect way to wake up in the morning and "FWTBT: I dream of Lars Ulrich being crushed by the bus instead of my my mystikal master Kliff Burton" (their cover of Metallica's For Whom The Bell Tolls) is amazing. The last two songs' drums and synth parts were created by Merzbow.




White1 [FLAC] - the most significant departure from sunn's original style to date. Each track was experimental in its own way, with Julian Cope reciting occultic druidist poetry for half of "My Wall", Norwegian lyrics sung by Runhild Gammelsæter of Thorr's Hammer as an intro to a drum machine and stoner metal bass riff in "The Gates of Ballard", and the drone track "A Shaving of the Horn that Speared You." - wiki



White2  [FLAC] - recorded during the same sessions as White1, but it was not released until a year later.
This album features Attila Csihar of Mayhem fame quoting the Srimad Bhagavatam on "Decay2 [Nihils' Maw]". The vinyl also features him on "Decay [The Symptoms of Kali Yuga]."  A DOD Buzz Box effect pedal designed to imitate the sound of Buzz Osborne of The Melvins was used for the bass effects on "bassAliens." - wiki
HELLO)))WEEN is fucking KILLER.





high res
Black One [FLAC] - MY FAVORITE SUNN ALBUM. the deepest, darkest, most challenging album i have ever heard in my life. it's addictive. "a combination of both experimental and traditional Sunn O))), utilizing many guest musicians, including black metal musicians Malefic and Wrest from Xasthur and Leviathan, respectively. The band supposedly also went so far as to lock Malefic in a casket to record the vocals on 'Báthory Erzsébet,' which was recorded as a tribute to Quorthon (as well as the countess who inspired Bathory's name) and, according to an interview with Terrorizer Magazine, is loosely based 'around a really slowed down riff from 'A Fine Day to Die.' 'Cursed Realms of the Winter Demons' is also an Immortal cover." - wiki

La Mort Noir dans Esch/Alzette [FLAC] - a really good live album that includes "Orthodox Caveman, CandleGoat, and Bathory Erzsebet." 

Monoliths & Dimensions [FLAC] - Their newest album, although very different, still maintains that "O)))" feel. "It was created and recorded over a period of 2 years and features the collaborations of composer Eyvind Kang, Australian guitar player Oren Ambarchi, Hungarian vocalist Attila Csihar, Dylan Carlson from the drone band Earth, and trombonists Julian Priester and Stuart Dempster. There's also an upright bass trio, French and English horns, harp and flute duo, piano, brass, reed and strings ensembles, and a Viennese woman's choir led by Persian vocal savant Jessika Kenney." - wiki

sunn O))) 1999-2005

2005-2009

i will be posting their 10inch with Pan Sonic later.

<3 she's so heavy <3

Wata, the guitarist of Boris, is a fox and She's So Heavy is a split she did with Ai Aso. Her song is a cover of a song by Masashi Kitamura and Ai Aso's song is a cover of King Crimson's Islands. It kinda sounds like Azure Ray (if they were japanese).

ALTAR (sunn O))) and Boris collaboration)

Altar is honestly one of the best albums written in the past decade. it is a completely joint/collaborative effort between sunn O))) and Boris. they sat down in a studio together and wrote/played/recorded this album in an extremely short period of time. it is a masterpiece that brings out the best in both bands. the album's title is a most appropriate name because listening to this album is a religious experience.



come, pray at the altar (upload includes all japanese bonus tracks and vinyl overture).
high res album cover 

here's my FLAC rip of the cd.

i might post more of the sweet artwork later.

Boris with Merzbow

Merzbow  is a Japanoise group under the direction of noise technician Masami Akita. The experimental nature of both Boris and Merzbow lends itself nicely to their collaborative efforts.

2002 Megatone - basically a remix/reimagining of Heavy Rocks

2004 04092001
 - this album is very interesting. it sounds ALOT like weather, as it changes and progresses from soft melodic wind to a thunder storm and back.

2005 Sun Baked Snow Cave
 - One long song that's just over an hour long characterized by progressive layers of riffs/noise/feedback. it's pretty sweet, and Stephen O'Malley of Sunn O))), KHANATE, and Burning Witch (among many other sweet bands) did the artwork.

2007 Walrus/Groon  - Walrus is a cover of The Beatles' "I Am the Walrus" and Groon is a cover a King Crimson improvisational piece.





2007 Rock Dream
 -  another remix/reimagining album like megatone.

Disc I
   1. "Feedbacker" - 35:05 (Originally from Boris at Last: -Feedbacker-)
   2. "Blackout" - 05:19 (Originally from Pink)
   3. "Evil Stack" - 05:04 (Previously unreleased)
   4. "Rainbow" - 04:30 (Originally from Rainbow)

Disc II
   1. "Pink" - 04:14 (Originally from Pink)
   2. "Woman on the Screen" - 02:37 (Originally from Pink)
   3. "Nothing Special" - 02:14 (Originally from Pink)
   4. "Ibitsu" - 03:35 (Originally from Akuma no Uta)
   5. "A Bao A Qu" - 04:35 (Originally from The Thing Which Solomon Overlooked)
   6. "The Evilone Which Sobs" - 13:41 (Originally from Dronevil)
   7. "Flower Sun Rain" - 08:04 (PYG cover, later released on Smile)
   8. "Just Abandoned My-self" - 13:21 (Originally from Pink)
   9. "Farewell" - 08:11 (Originally from Pink)

and finally we have  one track called "Froggie Bee - Baa" which is actually a Boris remix/re-imagining of a Merzbow song from Frog: Remixed and Revisited. At first i wasn't sure whether or not to put it here or in the comps post, but i think it's more fitting here (i guess?).

Boris splits, 7inches, and a soundtrack to a movie that doesn't exist

Boris has released some singles, comp tracks, and 7inches that contain songs already on their full lengths so i have omitted them.

1997 split with Barebones
 - Heavy stuff in the vein of Amplifier Worship (includes the songs "Soul Search You Sleep," "In Hush," and live recordings of "Scar Box" and "Mosquito").

2005 Soundtrack from the film Mabuta No Ura (both Catune and Essence versions) - "Mabuta No Ura" means "Under the Eyelids" and it is not a real film but rather the result of the band imagining a film in their heads and writing the soundtrack to it. The album is very driven on photography and art-styling.
The Catune version of the CD can be found in local music stores and online. It has a brown packaging and story cards with photos and the stories and lyrics in Japanese. Inoxia released this on LP with a different cover and photo book, limited to 600 copies. The Essence version of the album, limited to 2000 copies, has a different arrangement and songlist to the other versions, along with the LP album cover. It is depicted with the story card materials and lyrics in English and numerous photos. There is also a box-set edition containing art prints, flyers, and a bunch of dead flowers. This box-set is limited to 199 hand-numbered copies." - wiki

 2006 More Echoes, Touching Air Landscape (split with Choukoku no Niwa)- This split is ridiculously good. "Kanau" is split into two parts, the first being a progressive ambient drone melody, and the second being a really heavy rock (think "Hama") epic.

2009 Chapter Ahead Being Fake [FLAC] (split with Torche)- This split rips pretty hard. Torche's "King Beef" (which I will upload with a full Torche discography asap) is really good and Boris' "Luna" sounds completely different from any other Boris song you'll ever hear....and then it gets heavy out of nowhere at the end.



2009 Golden Dance Classics (split with 9dw) - These songs are pretty poppy but i like them alot. 

2009 Japanese Heavy Rock Hits - Vol. 1's "8" is sweet and "Hey Everyone" is decent.

2009 Japanese Heavy Rock Hits Vol. 2 - i'm not really a big fan of either of the tracks on Vol. 2... "Black Original" is ok i guess.  

 

2009 Japanese Heavy Rock Hits Vol 3. - definitely the best of the series. the first track is beautiful and features Wata on vocals and the second track is ambient heaviness in the vein of Flood part III. 

 

boris with Michio Kurihara

Michio Kurihara is an experimental Japanese guitarist who has a history of collaborations/tours with Boris, Ghost, and the Stars.

2006 Rainbow [FLAC] - This is my 4th favorite Boris record. It's got heavy jazz-rock influence and the guitar tone is simply beautiful. I guarantee that this album is so chill that it's impossible to become upset while listening to it. 

2008 Cloud Chamber - heavy on the ambiance and feedback, but melodic and relaxing.

boris

2000 Flood [FLAC] - One long brilliant song (split int 4 parts). Starts off slow, but part 3 is so epic you might shed a tear.

2003 Akuma No Uta [FLAC] - My 3rd favorite Boris record (even though most of the world considers it their best). Blends jazz-rock, ambiance, and a pinch of drone metal (for good measure) perfectly. Truly a beautiful album.

2005 Pink [FLAC] - Definitely their most straight forward album, Pink encompasses nearly all of Boris' styles (which is why it's my 5th favorite Boris record). Each and every song is a little different and that is probably why this album is so critically acclaimed. This is definitely where you should start if you are new to Boris.

2008 Smile -  Their most recent and popular full length is definitely a step in a different direction.  As a metalhead it took me a long time to apreesh this album (there's not a single heavy song on it), but in recent times I've come to realize that the fact that every song has multiple styles/genres in it is aesthetically pleasing in a different but interesting way. This is probably the most accessible album next to Pink. THIS UPLOAD INCLUDES BOTH THE JAPANESE AND ENGLISH VERSIONS WHICH ARE, IN FACT, MIXED DIFFERENTLY and thus have pretty different feels to them.

B O R I S

here, my heavy friends, are the Boris records that fall under the drone/experimental/hardcore/metal umbrella.

Archives 

the first folder 1996-1998 contains live recordings of early material (including HUGE and Hama) that predates amplifier worship....it's heavy as fuck, and most people haven't heard these songs: "In Hush, Soul Search You Sleep, Vacuuum, Mosquito, Mass Mercury, and Scar Box"). 
the second contains a live drumless set consisting of Huge, Mosquito, and Vomitself.
the third contains a live performance of shortened/sped up versions of Absolutego and Flood.

1996 Absolutego [FLAC] - this is one long (about an hour) song of heavy feedback and drone progression.

1998 Amplifier Worship [FLAC] - this is not only my favorite Boris album, it is one of my favorite albums of all time, and is what i consider to be the greatest drone metal album of all time (yeah, it's better than sunn O)))'s black one AND Earth-2... fight me). Perfectly fluid and brilliant musical flow from start to finish.




2002 Heavy Rocks [FLAC] - My 2nd favorite Boris album. It's a perfect blend of Hard Rock/Punk with some drone elements akin to Floor/Torche

2003 Boris at Last - Feedbacker [FLAC] - Yet another "one long song" album (although it's split into 5 parts). Pretty good, but not the best. Heavy on ambient feedback.

The Thing Which Solomon Overlooked I (2004), II & III (2006) - This 3 part series is truly unique. Each has 3-4 songs on that range somewhat widely in style from feedback/drone to relaxing/mesmerizing ambient.






2005 DronEvil [FLAC] - this record is both amazing and revolutionary. it is in reality 2 LPs/CDs that you are supposed to listen to AT THE SAME TIME. the first disc is completely ambient and borderline nonrhythmic, while the second disc contains the "actual" songs that range from relaxing/groovy jazz-rock to blistering heavy drone. This blog is named after the second song "Evil Wave Form" which, imho, is one of Boris' masterpieces.

2006 Vein 
 - This album took me the longest to get into, but now I really like it. It can best be characterized as a hardcore punk album (more than half the drum beats are circle pit worthy) drenched in two layers of constant feedback/drone. It's definitely hard on the ears at first, but it grows on you and it will ultimately make you (as it does me) happy to see that Boris hasn't forgotten punk rock. This upload includes both the "hardcore" and "noise" versions of the album (which you can read about on the wiki if you don't already know what they mean).