Abrasive Audio…to Soothe the Senses.
Another Year End List – Werewolves in Siberia
The year has come and gone, it’s cold, Santa is busting out his supply of energy drinks for his annual global philanthropist trek, the trees are…blah, blah, blah. Enough with all that! Welcome to another Year End list. Another one? Yes, another one. This one however, you can guarantee is going to slightly different than those before it. This is plucked, in the nicest way possible (naturally), from the creative mind of none other than synth mastermind Werewolves in Siberia. In short, he’s responsible for introducing me to the world of synth. Let me be more specific.
Great synth. In actuality, one of my first, non- metal, music reviews was of his “Beyond the City of the Dead” album (from 2014). https://werewolvesinsiberia.bandcamp.com/album/beyond-the-city-of-the-dead
If you enjoy listening to audio which puts you in mind of raunchy celluloid from a bygone era whereupon people are being feasted upon by the undead, having their face pulled toward “inconspicuous” splinters or being torn limb from limb by frustrated Amazonian natives then this is a must listen. But it gets better.
His newest, “Terrifying Tales from the Mausoleum” (released December the thirteenth. On a Friday, which seems to be his thing) is a step up and widely considered his best work to date (I agree, although the aforementioned holds a special place in my music collection). Before you continue feel free to give it a listen (or do so as you read this, it doesn’t matter!)
https://werewolvesinsiberia.bandcamp.com/album/terrifying-tales-from-the-mausoleum-3
Without further waffling, I’m honored and proud to present…
Werewolves in Siberia’s Top 5 of 2019
Usually, it would probably be pretty hard to come up with a list of my top 5 favorite albums of the year. This year though, I really didn’t get into many more than five albums all year, to be honest. The year just kind of flew by.
I’m not going to actually rank these albums because none of them are really in the same vein with one another. There’s something different about all of them but, either way, these were my absolute favorites from the year. I can’t see even a possibility that, no matter how many albums I listened to this year, these wouldn’t be my top 5 anyway.
I’m also linking the Spotify pages for each of these albums for easy access to their music. I mean, just about everybody’s using Spotify these days, right?
Municipal Waste – “The Last Rager”
I’m a big fan of old school thrash. The kings, Slayer, have just hung it up but Anthrax and Testament are putting out some of their best albums ever after over 30 years of being around. Municipal Waste, though, are the leaders of the new school of thrash. I say new school and realize they’ve been putting out music for over 15 years. They embody all that the old school brought and never stray from what they do well… full-on, all out thrash metal.
In 2019, they released the EP “The Last Rager” and I jumped on it. It’s a great follow up to 2017’s “Slime and Punishment”. If you haven’t heard them yet, it’s a great way to dip your toe into the water because it’s about ten minutes of thrashing fury and it’s over. If you’re a thrash fan, this will leave you wanting more. Luckily, they have a whole slew of other albums for you to enjoy after this one.
https://open.spotify.com/album/2DUJrtvNvNprAipiCJP3fK?si=SXaV_JHnReOH4fpM-yQR3A
The Seatopians – “Underwater Ally”
If you’re a fan of beach life, tiki culture or just dig a little surf rock once in a while. The Seatopians have got to be on your radar immediately. I came across these guys earlier in the year on Instagram when surf-promotion-site-turned-surf-record-label Altered State of Reverb happened to mention them. Then, I saw something really weird; they’re from the little city I live in. That little city is Boise, Idaho. I was definitely intrigued. I was skeptical… because, Boise? Surf rock? Intrigued, nonetheless and had to check them out. Their demo was good. Really good.
Altered State of Reverb took the steps to jump into the record label game and released “Underwater Alley”, the debut from The Seatopians. I quickly snatched that up and immersed myself in it. I still can’t get enough of this album five months later. Pretty sure I listened at least once a day for the first couple weeks and I’m still throwing this one on at least every couple of weeks.
There are legends in the surf rock game. Legends that will live on forever; from the early days of The Ventures, Dick Dale and The Impacts to those who took the torch in the late 80s and beyond like Los Straitjackets. Then, there is this new wave of surf bands coming around. While I’ve come across some really good ones, The Seatopians are sitting on top of that heap as kind of the kings of the new wave of surf rock. I mean no disrespect to any other surf band. I’m listening to tons of it on a regular basis these days, but these guys are really making waves. (See what I did there?)
https://open.spotify.com/album/3SuP80CDsuybUk7S8StMS0?si=lJf4AIdJTKS1yJaIZiNTnw
Voyag3r – “War Mask”
I’ve said it so many times but when it comes to synth driven music, Voyag3r are on a whole different level than most anyone out there. They bring a full band to the mix that most don’t. Maybe a lot of synthwave doesn’t need a full band to make a good album… but these guys are still just on a different level.
Voyag3r don’t actually fall into that synthwave category to me but they bring plenty of that culture to their sound. They’re also bringing inspiration from horror and sci-fi soundtracks as well as crossover prog rock bands like Goblin. Again, another level.
“War Mask” was released in April and instantly took the synth world by storm. Rightfully so. This album took their already sci-fi, horror and cult film score-inspired sound and leveled up. Their sound has broadened a bit on this release but still has that Voyag3r sound we’ve all come to love. Stellar guitar, synth and drum work is even accompanied by the occasional saxophone this time around.
If you’re a fan of John Carpenter, Fabio Frizzi, Goblin or anything in between, this is for you. As a side note, synth master/smooth saxophonist, Steve Greene, has some amazing solo albums, too. Check out everything any of these guys have done that you can find.
https://open.spotify.com/album/7kxmLiqSrEx3U8AnNmLnT1?si=uaWHuSnoTwy-lR1xxIOccA
Calabrese – “Flee the Light”
What can I say about this one? Calabrese shot onto my radar way back in 2005 with their catchy-as-hell horror punk. Rather than heading up the often-taken route of just sounding like a Misfits ripoff, they had their own sound.
Over the years, they took a more rock and roll approach, sort of a death rock sound. It took a little getting used to at first and, while I wasn’t as into this sound as their earlier material, I still really liked those last couple albums. With “Flee the Light”, the brothers Calabrese have reinvented themselves yet again by adding synths to their ever-evolving sound.
Usually, when a rock band adds keyboards/synths to their already-stellar arsenal, it kills the vibe. It’s overkill. Not here. Not at all! I’ll be damned if they didn’t pull it off and end up with their best release since 2012’s “Dayglo Necros” album. I never would’ve thought that synths could add anything great to a Calabrese record. I really wasn’t into the idea but over the years I’ve rocked out to the albums, I’ve done some distro for them, I’ve taken in their live shows, interviewed them, you name it. Now, somehow, they have absolutely blown me away 14 years after first hearing them yet again.
https://open.spotify.com/album/1sNY7MpBrQ0qpwv9rLsDI5?si=qXXYLB_uScOt9LxutZI-vA
Majeure – “Mass Flashback”
You might not be familiar with the name Majeure. It’s the solo project of AE Paterra from synth/prog rock duo Zombi. Aside from it being the name of the Italian release of Dawn of the Dead or the Italian version of Fulci’s “Zombi 2”, you also might not be with Zombi. Let me help you with that.
They’ve been one of my favorite bands since I stumbled across them on a Relapse Records sampler in ‘04. They stood out amongst the extreme metal acts of the label and grabbed my attention like no other non-punk or non-metal band had in years. They sounded like all those killer scores from horror movies like Dawn of the Dead and I was hooked.
Over the years, the two members have done numerous solo records and side projects. Steve Moore has really made a name for himself with some great film scores and even jumped into Goblin’s live lineup for several shows. Paterra has made some great music, himself. He made a couple sci-fi synth collaborations with UK new age artist Paul Lawler called Contact that I really dug as well as quite a few singles, EPs and splits.
When this year’s “Mass Flashback” came out, it drew me in. Something about this release feels head and shoulders above any of Paterra’s past solo releases to me. There’s a very laid-back tone overall that you get lost in. Close your eyes and take the journey.
This album is only six songs long but it can loop endlessly for days. It’s that good. If you’re not into the synth thing, it might not be for you but I’d still say you should give it a try because, to me, it transcends all barriers. It’s not just a synth record. It’s a damn near flawless album for any genre.
https://open.spotify.com/album/2puInERaWhQ0HVcUM8UFZq?si=sGaMX7RZQImuOYpl4Jh50g
C’mon whatcha doing? Bang out some synth already!
Editor’s Note ; Thanks goes out to Chris for allowing me to jog his memory and send over his thoughts and recommendations. Admittedly, the only release here which I’m familiar with (although I have yet to lay ears upon it) is the first mentioned. It appears I have some exploration to embark upon and a diverse pool of audio in which to leap into.
CultMetalFlix 