Completing my vinyl collection of lesser known Candiria releases this week are Kiss the Lie (2008), Toying with the Insanities Volume II (2009), and Toying with the Insanities Volume III (2010).  I ordered these directly from the band’s label, Rising Pulse Records, run by Candiria’s guitar player, John LaMacchia.

Kiss the Lie is a more laid back album for Candiria and features a lot of singing from vocalist Carley Coma.  Parts of the album sound nu-metal with moments that remind me of Tool.

Toying with the Insanities Volume II and Toying with the Insanities Volume III are remix albums.  They feature experimental remixes of classic Candiria favorites and some new material.  Volume II features more chill electronic, hip-hop, and ambient remixes while Volume III features remixes of Candiria’s heavier material.

            From Brooklyn, Candiria were popular in the New York hardcore scene in the late ‘90s and early ‘00s and fuse hardcore, hip-hop, jazz, and other influences in their music.  They are currently on a very strong comeback with the recent release of While They Were Sleeping (2016) on Metal Blade Records.  With a classic discography of groundbreaking albums, Candiria today remain an influential force in extreme metal and underground music.

Disrepair – Buffalo Hardcore

 

 

Having dropped their two song demo this past September, Disrepair are one of the newest bands in the hardcore/metal scene in Buffalo.  For Buffalo Hardcore, they have a fresh sound.  Groovy riffs and blood curdling screams, it will definitely get the adrenaline in your veins pumping.  What makes Disrepair that much heavier is the unpredictability of what’s coming next.  None of the usual stop everything, predictable guitar chug, followed by the break down.  These are well thought out song arrangements of metallic, heavy hardcore.  Disrepair have been pounding pavement in Buffalo and nearby cities, getting their name out there.

Heavy as fuck and not restricted to the confines of traditional hardcore, Disrepair incorporate other elements into their sound.  Down-tuned, dark chords, metal and crust influenced riffs, breakdowns, and plenty of d-beats.  Their lyrics deal with the wars going on in the world and also in our own lives, the battles we each face every day.

Disrepair have performed in Buffalo, Syracuse, and Niagara Falls and are looking to play in other nearby cities like Erie, Binghamton, Richmond, Cleveland, Detroit, and anywhere nearby that has a good hardcore scene.

It’s clear these guys have a lot of passion for hardcore music and want to share that passion with the audience.  Disrepair’s hardcore is a cathartic release and they want their fans to fuck shit up and have a good time.  It’s great talking with them because they are genuinely enthusiastic about hardcore music.

Disrepair have plans for an upcoming split release with Acolyte from Pittsburgh.  They also hinted about an upcoming 7” release on a label they didn’t want to disclose just yet.  Disrepair are a new Buffalo band definitely worth checking out and their upcoming releases are something hardcore fans can really look forward to.  “Heavy, head banging music that's good for your soul.”

            During Thanksgiving weekend, on Black Friday, my father, a life-long record collector, and I stopped by two local record stores.  With the record revival going on right now, it’s amazing to think we covered less than half of the local record stores in the Buffalo area.  There are at least six record stores in Western New York now that I can think of.

            The Dave Brubeck Quartet – Time Further Out (1961) and Herbie Hancock – Thrust (1974), I found at Spiral Scratch Records.  The Chick Corea Elektric Band – The Chick Corea Elektric Band (1986) and Roger Waters – Radio K.A.O.S. (1987), I found at Revolver Records.

            Chick Corea and Herbie Hancock, like some of the bigger name jazz artists from the ‘60s, went on to experiment with different musical styles and record albums in the ‘70s, ‘80s, and beyond.  I’m a big fan of records like this.  I have a Chick Corea record, Again and Again (1983), one of my favorite records in my collection, which features experimentation with electronic instruments.  The Chick Corea Elektric Band is a great album continuing with his electronic experimentation in the ‘80s.  Herbie Hancock went on to experiment with funk, disco, future jazz, and other different musical styles, and Thrust is some of the most “out there” music of his I’ve heard.  The musicians on this record are totally out of control!  Forget about future jazz.  This is space music.

            Dave Brubeck records are popular among many record collectors.  I now have five Brubeck records, including an original copy of Newport 1958 (1959).  Dave Brubeck definitely has his own unique style in jazz.  He uses a lot of syncopation which I like in music.  Time Further Out was a cool find as it’s a record I’ve come across before in all my Discogs searches.

            You can follow Revolver Records on Facebook where the owner always posts lots of photos of what he has in store that week.  I asked him if he still had the copy of Roger Waters – The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking (1984) I had seen him post online a few weeks ago.  That had sold, but he dug out this copy of Radio K.A.O.S. for me that he still had.  Roger Waters is one of my all-time favorite song writers and Radio K.A.O.S. is a total classic.

            It was cool to stop by some local record stores with my dad while he was in town.  He got to meet Dave, the owner of Spiral Scratch, who’s really knowledgeable and always great to talk to, and I finally got to see the Revolver Records shop for the first time.  If you’re in the Buffalo area be sure to stop in and check out Revolver Records and Spiral Scratch Records.

            Hades Mining Co. have been festering like a cyst in the Rochester, New York underground since 1999, playing their bathroom noise, frivolous garble, and power whatever.  They have a ton of unknown recordings released by nobody knows who, but now their bassist Dave runs a d.i.y. noise/grind label called Continuum Records where you can find tangible copies of their releases, usually in 7” or tape format.  Hades Mining Co. have released some nice splits with killer noise and grind bands on the label.  These two just arrived in the mail, CSMD/Hades Mining Co./Morte Lenta – Noisecore Apocalypse (2016) and Hades Mining Co./Hogra – Split 7” EP (2016).

I personally own six Continuum Records releases now.  Their 7” releases are great examples of what a 7” release should be.  Collectable artwork, demented noise, co-released with other deranged noise bands and labels from around the world.

            My band, Prepare for the Mindscan, has played with Hades Mining Co. a few times in Buffalo and Rochester.  It’s always fun hanging out with those guys and talking about grind and noise.  Cheers to Hades Mining Co. in Rochester for keeping the noise alive!

 

I picked this up at Record Theatre on Main Street in Buffalo.  The pink vinyl version of Atrocity Exhibition (2016) by Danny Brown imported from Europe.  Record Theatre is the largest and oldest record store in Western New York.  Selling new and used vinyl, CDs, DVDs, etc., they’ve been a fixture in Buffalo since 1976.

If you’re a fan of current hip-hop then you know Danny Brown.  Of all the different MCs in rap today, Danny Brown has some of my favorite guest appearances.  If Danny Brown has a verse on a track, it’s always good.  His solo releases are now highly anticipated among hip-hop fans.

            In some ways you can say that Danny Brown has found even more of his voice on Atrocity Exhibition.  There are some crazy beats on here, which bring out some special moments for Danny.  In certain aspects, you could argue this is Danny Brown’s best album.  His second album, XXX (2011) is already a hip-hop classic.  The follow-up, Old (2013), was great but I found myself listening to Atrocity Exhibition a lot more when I first heard it.  There’s a lot going on lyrically on this album, more so than his previous recordings.  I notice something different in the lyrics or beats each time I listen to it.  I’ve already spun this a bunch of times.

           
            Lymphatic Phlegm are an old school goregrind band from Brazil formed in 1996.  Putrescent Stiffs and Pungent Whiffs is their 7” released in 2012.  I ordered a couple clothing items from Rotten Roll Rex label and mail order in Germany and ordered this record along with the package.  This was a cool find as it’s kind of rare and there are currently none available for sale on Discogs. 

Lymphatic Phlegm’s influences include Carcass, Autopsy, Mortician and Impetigo.  Though they are a goregrind band, a lot of their riffs do sound like old school death metal and grindcore.  There is a lot of reverb on the guitars creating some haunting overtones on this recording.

            Lymphatic Phlegm have quite a few split releases mostly with other goregrind bands.  I had really only heard their split with Torsofuck, Disgusting Gore and Pathology/Polymorphisms to Severe Sepsis in Trauma (2002).  Grabbing this copy of Putrescent Stiffs and Pungent Whiffs was a good opportunity to give them more of a listen.

Brujeria bridge the divide between fans of more mainstream metal and fans of underground extreme types of metal.  If you listen to thrash, death metal, or grindcore, then you know about Brujeria.  They gained notoriety in the ‘90s with releases like Matando Gueros (1993), the cover art depicting a hand holding a man’s severed head.  Almost all their lyrics are in Spanish and members of the band perform under pseudonyms portraying themselves as satanic drug lords.

This year for Record Store Day, Brujeria released the Viva Presidente Trump! 7”.  With its blatantly suggestive cover art and limited pressings on colored vinyl, it has been going from anywhere between $50-500 on Discogs.  Seeing the orange and yellow vinyl imports of Pocho Aztlan (2016) on Nuclear Blast Records, I figured I’d better order myself a copy now.

            Pocho Aztlan is Brujeria’s first full-length album in 16 years.  They stay true to their reputation, the lyrics dealing with drug wars, race issues, and the battle for the border.  Nearing the tumultuous end of 2016, the return of Brujeria and the timing of Pocho Aztlan couldn’t possibly be better.

This is why I love browsing through old records.  To find old classic music that I would otherwise never hear.  I found, listed alphabetically: Moody Blues, London Festival Orchestra, Peter Knight – Days of Future Passed (1967), Pee Wee Russell – Plays Pee Wee (1961), Specs Powell – Presents Big Band Jazz (1957), and Various – Town Hall Concert (1965).

I had to go back to see Jeffery Allen one more time before the weather really turns.  Jeff runs the WNY Vinyl Collective group on Facebook and sells records during warmer months, Saturdays at The Peddler flea market in Buffalo, on Elmwood and West Ferry.

I always love jazz finds.  I recently learned about Pee Wee Russell and have been listening to The Spirit of ‘67, a classic recording of his with Oliver Nelson.  Plays Pee Wee is more chilled back than I expected but then again, Pee Wee Russell is a little bit earlier for jazz, beginning his career in the ‘20s.

            Specs Powell has that cool old school sound you get sometimes with old records and has some real classy big band tunes.  On the Town Hall Concert, the musicians are really in the groove with some great solos on this album.  I haven’t heard too much Moody Blues so Days of Future Passed was also a great find.  The Moody Blues with the London Festival Orchestra is laid back and has some nice chill tunes.  Turns out, this one’s an early progressive rock classic.

            Be sure to catch Jeff Allen at The Peddler flea market in Buffalo.  There might actually be a few nice Saturdays left this year.

Abysme are a death metal band from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania featuring former members of Aus Rotten, Crucial Unit, and Funerus.  Strange Rites is their debut full-length, originally released on CD in 2012 by Hellthrasher Productions in Poland.  Our Ancient Future, a new record label in Pittsburgh, just released Strange Rites on vinyl this year.  I ordered this directly from their website.

Crucial Unit are one of my all-time favorite underground d.i.y. bands.  Having a former member in Abysme was enough for me to check them out a few years back.  I never expected a vinyl version of Strange Rites would be released.  I didn’t even know Abysme were still active.  They recently announced on Facebook about the vinyl release and it turns out Abysme are still active playing shows around Pittsburgh.  I understand they’re even working on material for another album.

            Abysme’s Strange Rites is killer death metal for all you old school maniacs out there.  “Caveman death metal not for your listening pleasure.”

If you listen to hardcore, underground or experimental music then you probably already know Candiria.  From Brooklyn, they were popular in the New York hardcore scene and released numerous groundbreaking albums in the late ‘90s and early ‘00s, fusing hardcore, hip-hop, and jazz, influencing the next generation of extreme metal and underground music.

            Candiria’s music, self-described as “urban fusion,” requires a somewhat diverse aural palette and being open to new ideas and experimentation.  In return, their recordings are some of the most rewarding listening you can experience.  Their classic albums include Beyond Reasonable Doubt (1997), 300 Percent Density (2001), and my personal favorites, The Process of Self-Development (1999) and The Coma Imprint (2002).

            While They Were Sleeping (2016) realizes Candiria at their most powerful and pushing musical boundaries further than ever.  Challenging and shattering expectations as exactly what fans of Candiria expect.  I ordered While They Were Sleeping directly through the Metal Blade Records website.  This is some of the most exciting new music you will hear anywhere.

 

            Directly from Poland, this arrived via mail order from the Fat Ass Records Discogs store. In Advanced Haemorrhaging Conditions (2016) by Dutch goregrind masters, Last Days of Humanity.

Together for over 25 years, Last Days of Humanity effectively carved out their own niche sound in the goregrind genre. You can hear the development of their style on releases in the early to late ‘90s and then perfected in the early 2000s.

Fat Ass Records released Last Days of Humanity’s 2006 goregrind masterpiece, Putrefaction in Progress, for the first time on vinyl last year.  The vinyl pressing must have been successful as this year saw another vinyl release of their 2005 recording, In Advanced Haemorrhaging Conditions. Bones Brigade Records in France originally released both albums on CD.

            Bloodstrike from Denver, Colorado play old school death metal at its finest.  In Death We Rot (2016) is their first full-length released on Redefining Darkness Records.

            My band, Prepare for the Mindscan, opened for Bloodstrike at The Lair in Buffalo, Tuesday, September 13th.  Sharing the merch table that night, I bought the record from the singer Holly after their set.  They were super cool and had really funny stories from the road.

Bloodstrike have it all: sick low vocals, tight, groovy drums, in the pocket (nice mid-tempo blasts!), demonic leads AND riffs.  They put on a killer performance at The Lair, not to mention the sick album cover art!  I had to pick up In Death We Rot on vinyl.  Old school death metal heads take note.

I cannot believe this. One of the recordings that spawned my lifelong obsession with European grindcore and fast music in general. A Blaze in the Northern Sky (2006), the classic Sound Pollution Records split release between the Swedish kings of speed, Massgrav and Diskonto.

            I found this at the Healer merch table at Bitchfest at the Polish Library in Buffalo on September 10th. Bitchfest is an annual underground d.i.y. concert in Buffalo featuring women in punk rock. The guitarist Eric from Healer told me that Diskonto gave him a few copies of the album when they stayed with him during their US tour in 2007.

            For fans of fast, loud music, A Blaze in the Northern Sky is a classic recording. Two of the best bands in the Swedish underground who are veterans of the scene.  European grindcore has been one my favorite kinds of music for over a decade and while not necessarily full on grind, these two bands represent that sound and originality, energy and speed.

This week’s record arrived via mail order, Extreme Noise Terror (2015) by UK grindcore veterans Extreme Noise Terror. Socio-political grindcore, the way it’s supposed to be.

Deep Six Records is an underground d.i.y. label specializing in grind, power violence, sludge, thrash, and hardcore.  Some other bands I like who have releases on this label include Lack of Interest, No Comment, and Weekend Nachos.

            I ordered this a couple months back.  There was a mix up with my order at the label but the package finally arrived.  It was definitely worth the wait.  If you’ve forgotten what punk and grindcore are all about, this album sets the record straight.  Crusty, grindcore, punk done right by UK grindcore veterans, Extreme Noise Terror is essential for every grindcore collection.

This week’s finds are filed in the timeless classics section of the collection. In the order in which I found them: Yes – Close to the Edge (1972), Pink Floyd – Animals (1977), and Donald Byrd – Stepping into Tomorrow (1974).  I came back to this vendor for the Yes album, found Pink Floyd in classic rock, and then found Donald Byrd in a dollar bin!  An amazing day for any discerning vinyl collector.   

Jeffery Allen runs the WNY Vinyl Collective group on Facebook and is very active in the local vinyl collecting community.  You can find him at The Peddler flea market in Buffalo on Elmwood and West Ferry every other Saturday in the summer. I stopped to chat with him a few weeks earlier about the broadway, showtunes, and classical records I had recently become the custodian of.  I didn’t have any pocket change the first time I met him but I’m sure glad I stopped back!

Animals and Close to the Edge were on my wish list of albums I wanted for my collection.  Finding Donald Byrd’s Blue Note Records classic Stepping into Tomorrow made my day, if not my entire week!  I still can’t believe I found that in a dollar bin.  There’s already a couple things I plan on going back to grab from Jeff if he still has them.  If you’re in the area on a Saturday afternoon be sure to stop by and say hello!

 

Monolith of Phobos (2016) is the psychedelic rock collaboration between Les Claypool and Sean Lennon, known together as, The Claypool Lennon Delirium.

I picked this up at The Claypool Lennon Delirium merchandise table at Erie Canalside in Buffalo.  They performed the last concert of the Thursdays at Canalside concert series in downtown Buffalo on August 25th.  Running into a fellow vinyl collector at the show, he told me he picked up the record at their merch table.  Already on my list of records to buy next, I had to go grab a copy for myself!

The show was rained out.  After staying reasonably dry through some intermittent light rain, the torrential downpour inevitably came.  No umbrella, completely soaked, somehow only about two drops of water got to the record through the shrink-wrap.  It completely dried by the next day with no damage to the cover.  A great find for the collection with a story to go along with it!