Amber Are These Days

Institute first blipped on my radar a few years ago during a random search for Damad, but this post can be credited to eastcobb for finally getting me to upload the goods. Institute materialized from the same vapors as Damad, Kylesa, Karst, etc., but opted for a more expansive sound. The same dark universe is seen tinted through colder, slightly industrial eyes, kindred spirits of which might include early Counterblast, In Nomine Christi, and Christdriver. The voice samples and noise effects add a nice layer to the mix, but for me it's the hypnotic rhythms and driving metal riffs that are the real flesh. I'm posting my own rips of the one vinyl piece I own by the band ("Two Shadows") and tracks from "The Piano Player" which I downloaded from the band back when they made available both records to the public.

Institute

"Two Shadows" LP (Yellow Dog Records, 2001?) ripped @ 320.

"The Piano Player" (@ 192)

Crust, INC

As per request, today's serving is a small but fortifying slab of industrial metal/punk with a generous garnish of crusty aesthetics. In Nomine Christi was a one man band from Germany who also did an equally invigorating LP which Painajainen ripped for all to enjoy over here. The 7" consists of two more head-bobbing, bass driven jams, and one dirge of cold despair. Our anonymous friend who made the request made the comparisons to Spine Wrench and Godflesh, and I'm hard pressed to do any better than that. I like the way the composer makes great use of electronic sounds and keyboards to flesh out more musical layers in a genre that usually leaves me cold. Nice record!

In Nomine Chrisi 7"

Green As A Dying Whore

Between the post you see here and this post, you can have the entire Spine Wrench discography. I normally don't pay much attention to bands that use drum machines or could be considered "industrial," but Spine Wrench nail it real nicely. Not to mention, there's some residual crustiness from guitar/vocals man, Mid's, days in the mighty Deviated Instinct. In the two folders below, I've put rips of the EPs entitled "Tapping The Vein, " and "Spite Junkie," as well as re-ripped versions of the "Heeldrag" and "Soulscape" (this time from the CD edition which has an extra track) EPs, and a compilation version of the track "Spite Junkie" (all ripped @ at least 256 kbps). This should more than adequately meet your head-banging needs.


Spine Wrench Eps
Spine Wrench Splits

Spinal Wrench 2: The Splits

I hope to re-rip the two Spine Wrench EPs I posted a while back, and rip two additional ones in the next couple of weeks. In the meantime, this post concerns the two split releases the band did: their first outing, and their last. In case you don't already know, SW were a sludgy metal band with industrial leanings, but are best known as the band MID (Rob Middleton) formed after the demise of Deviated Instinct (you also may know Rob from his art which graced many famous Napalm Death albums, and from his current work in the band Bait). The first split of the day, with Def. Master, was Spine Wrench's last release. The one SW track is easily my favorite from the band's discography. Through the cold, industrial atmosphere tears some anguished vocals and gut-wrenching, string-bending guitar eeriness. Based on this last remnant, I really wish the band had kept going...

Japan's Def. Master are a whole other trip. Their hyper-kinetic, electro-industrial adrenaline shot is both seductive and nerve-wracking (in too high a dose). The format follows a similar pattern to their "Fear Of God" 7", both of which consist of one booty-shaker and one metallic head-rush. As can be expected, the tracks are layered with all manner of electronic bells and whistles to keep your warped neurons from their inevitable atrophy; yes, our species is "evolving" to where ADHD is becoming one of our essential qualities-- Def. Master has kept this in mind during the composition process. Get DM's split with the almighty Discordance Axis here and a couple more DM goodies here.



For no extra charge, you can also download the Sin/Spine Wrench (or Spinewrench if you prefer) CD below. SW showcase their usual awesome, throbbing, grooving metal. This also happens to be the only release with Charlie (ex-Deviated Instinct) on drums before he left and and was replaced by his mechanical counterpart. The songs are pretty good, and, for me at least, blow away Sin. Maybe I'm just not accustomed to the flat, anti-dynamic, industrial influenced metal those guys produced, but I get a little antsy listening to Sin. I don't know, maybe you'll like them more, but I usually skip to the SW tracks.


Both splits

Def. Master "The Fear of God" 7"

A qualifying statement may be in order here: I'm not usually into this sort of music, but... the title track of Def. Master's "The Fear of God" 7" (H:G Fact Records, 1993) is just so damned powerful. Said track is a hyper-paranoid mindfuck of stimulus-overloaded, industrial cyber-metal. Unlike some other Def. Master tracks, the various vocal samples and electronic noises are used as mere embellishments to the metal guitar's dominant position, all of which are goaded along by the manic pace of the drum track. Dizzying, and fucking intense! The b-side, "Beset," marches at a more moderate, lulling pace, and almost eliminates the role of the guitar completely. Perhaps it's needless to say, but this track falls short of the mark, although fans of Godflesh might find themselves bobbing their heads a bit. In addition to this ep, Def. Master released split eps with Discordance Axis and Spine Wrench.

Take a listen

Spine Wrench eps

After the dissolution of Deviated Instinct (who reformed and played shows recently!), Mid and Charlie started Spine Wrench. Charlie left after their first release, and was replaced by a drum machine. These two eps, "Soulscape" and "Heeldrag" (Desperate Attempt and After the Bomb Records, 1994 respectively) represent the latest period of this band's life span. The drum machine and noise used on these tracks warrant the "industrial" label to a certain extent, but the backbone of Spine Wrench's music is sludgy, groovy, hard-driving metal. There is a chilliness to their sound, not only from the drum machine, but from the pained screams and yells coming from Mid's mic, which seem to have some effects or distortion applied to them. I'm usually picky about these kinds of bands, but SW wrote some catchy and powerful tunes and I've come to appreciate their work quite a bit. In addition to these eps, Spine Wrench released a split CD, 2 other eps, and a split ep with Def. Master. Members are now in Bait and, well, back in Deviated Instinct.

All Spine Wrench releases are posted here.