GUILTY PLEASURES - I AGREE WITH THIS CHAP / CHAPESS

http://cyadmark.blogspot.com/2008/07/guilty-pleasures-9-def-leppard.html

http://cyadmark.blogspot.com/2008/07/guilty-pleasures-albums-10-def-leppard.html

PRO's

1) they were released in the 80's - the golden decade for metal

2) the artwork on both albums is incredible

3) production techniques whilst being very self indulgent - sound unique , epic and totally ahead of its time. (albeit a little 'miami vice' )

4) most people deny they like these albums but secretly if you were into metal in the 80's - YOU LIKE THESE RECORDS

5) on the latter album the drummer only had one arm.. (is this a pro or a con ? - a pro in my book)

CONs

the afore mentioned drummer wore a 'simple minds' shirt in all of the press shots... (still better than wearing a 'big country' shirt i suppose)

FLEA and the myth that RHCP have always been shit

I'm gonna say this one last time to anyone under 30 years old that wasn't old enough to remember,
FLEA was in F.E.A.R for fucks sake and the Chili Peppers were a good band for the first 5 albums.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YK8Q8awAjno

THE MISERY IS BACK...

over 18 months have past since the U.M.P blog has been updated.. ive now decided to get back into this (prob for another 2 weeks). Expect codswallop / whining / drivel / rants / links / and maybe some reviews of things if i can be arsed.

now pass me the Mirtazapine .......

RENEWED LOVE OF BLACK METAL

Pretty much since the 20th of December ALL ive been listening to is BLACK. When i say Black i mean BLACK of the METAL variety....
Whether its the classic Norweigan sound of the early 90's by legends such as Darkthrone and Satyricon or more modern punk edged gnarly shit like Bone Awl from the USA, i just cant get enough of it. Ive found myself back on ebay - drooling over Burzum 6 pic disc LP Box Sets, and rare Goatmoon cassette tapes.
Talking Of Burzum ; my (sort of) Boss has just ordered the new LP from the infamous Varg Vikernes AKA Count Grishnackh AKA BURZUM http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Varg_Vikernes
Its been 11 since he released an album. The last album was laughable, and was written on a Cassio keyboard when Varg was incarcerated in one of Norway's "soft" Prisons.
Onto the NOW - Varg is a free man and living on a farm in the middle of rural Norway (im guessing even the busiest City's in Norway are pretty darn rural) - and has recorded what is probably the anticipated album of the year for me. Im not expecting anything spectacular. However when my boss gets his copy on double white vinyl it has been discussed / planned we are going to have a launch party in his Garage at the end of his garden.. Two middle aged blokes listening to a Heavy Metal record all the way through with no interuptions, no kids, no family and most importantly no phones ringing. I will post a blog the day after the 'session'..

In the meantime here's my playlist from the last few days..
DEATHSPELL OMEGA - BOX SET (5 LP'S) (early works - Northern Heritage releases)
NOKTURNAL MORTEM - LUNAR POETRY & GOAT HORNS LP'S
NUCLEAR WAR NOW - FESTIVAL VOLUME 1 LP
BONE AWL - NIGHT'S MIDDLE 7"
KATHARSIS / ANTAEUS SPLIT 7"
CLANDESTINE BLAZE - ARCHIVE VOL 1, 2 & 3 LP's
GRAVELAND -WILL STRONGER THAN DEATH LP
SIXX - SISTER DEVIL LP

The Flu - Ozzy Osbourne lyrics

When your feeling at deaths door, the mind can take you to some far reaching places...
Ive mostly been re-listening to black metal for the last week since ive been laid up at home... The sounds of kids screaming downstairs and the constant noise plus the sweating and unbearable symptoms that come with flu sit hand in hand with some of the darkest murkiest lo-fi music i have available in my collection..
Well the whole family are pretty much sick now and whilst their downstairs watching a 'wallace and grommit' dvd i went through some of my Traditional Heavy Metal albums from the 80's and had the urge to listen to the whole "Blizzard of Ozz" by original Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne. Nowadays Ozzy is a joke polluted by the mainstream MTV corporate lure of dollar and his attention / money grabbing wife Sharon, however i must confess to be being a bit of a fan of his very early solo albums. There's no denying "Blizzard" is an exceptional album and it features the famous / controversial song 'Suicide Solution'..

here are the lyrics.. Wine is fine But whiskey's quicker Suicide is slow with liquor Take a bottle drain your sorrows THEN IT FLOODS AWAY TOMMOROW!! Evil thoughts and evil doings Cold, alone you hang in ruins Thought you'd escape the reaper You can't escape the master keeper 'Cause you feel life's unreal and you're living a lie Such a shame who's to blame and you're wondering why Then you ask from your cask is there life after birth What you saw can mean hell on this earth Hell on this earth!! Now you live inside a bottle The reaper's travelling at full throttle It's catching you but you don't see The reaper is you and the reaper is me Breaking laws, knocking doors But there's no one at home Made your bed, rest your head But you lie there and moan Where to hide, suicide is the only way out Don't you know what it's really about Wine is fine But whiskey's quicker Suicide is slow with liquer Take a bottle drown your sorrows THEN IT FLOODS AWAY TOMMOROW

most people know the about this song and the grief it caused Ozzy.. I cant be arsed to explain it (i dont even think its the best song on the album - thats reserved for 'Mr. Crowley'), but if you are interested here's a link http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suicide_Solution

If you are a fan of Ozzy fronting the first 4-6 sabbath albums and then got a bit disillusioned with the direction him and the band were going in for the last few before he left (like me) - i recommend this album as a good middle ground between the downtuned 70's doom of Sabbath and the more upbeat 80's metal sound. Its way better than at least the last 2 Ozzy Sabbath albums.

Soundtrack to my Xmas day 2009 (...so far!)

PRURIENT - PLEASURE GROUND

LEVIATHAN - TENTH SUB LEVEL OF SUICIDE
SLINT - SPIDERLAND
MOONBLOOD - SUPREME BLACK FORCE OF GERMAN STEEL
MOONBLOOD - KINGDOM UNDER THE FUNERAL SKIES
MOONBLOOD - FULLMOON WITCHERY
MOONBLOOD - FUR DEN SIEG

25th November - recent playlist