Atolls and Serial Killers Part II

The time has come to rehash the surliest and burliest metallic hardcore of the nineties.  Two factors prompted this (yet another) Enewetak post: a request for a re-up, and a long ago kick-down of some rarities, compliments of a mysterious stranger.  The first link below includes re-rips of the band's "Easyrider Sessions Vol. 1" 7" and 8 previously unposted tracks including a Guns n' Roses cover and another recording of "Deadbird" among other raw and nasty numbers.  Dirty sludge twists around chunky mosh in this JG Ballard-like collision of tissue and metal that always sends me reeling.

Enewetak- "Easyrider Sessions Vol. 1" and rarities

It has come to my attention that the Enewetak/Unruh split 7" link died, so here is a refresher:

Here

Cleansed by Flame

Here's Unruh's two part prescription for the most brutal form of Euthanasia: the first to knock you out, the second to end it all. This is the most extraordinary of renditions Arizona-style that's caught in the Rorschach dilemma of being either metallic hardcore or hardcore influenced metal depending on what angle you view it from. After all these years, Unruh's Hell is still hotter than Satan's crotch, like a chunk of coal emerging as a shining jewel after smoldering in His loins for 13 or so years. For the take today is Unruh's debut LP "Misery Strenghtened Faith" and...
their follow-up/swan-song "Setting Fire to Sinking Ships." While both are nearly equal in their raw brutality, I would venture to say that "SFTSS" surpasses its predecessor in production and technical precision, as well as in the impact and originality of the lyrics. As to which I enjoy more, I lean toward the first, but really you just can't go wrong with either one. Both have been ripped from the vinyls at 320 kbps as per request from Mike, but you may want to check Pessimiser Records (if you can find them) or ebay to find the CD version of "SFTSS".

"Misery Strengthened Faith" by Unruh
"Setting Fire to Sinking Ships" by Unruh

Hotter Than Satan's Crotch

The summer temperatures have finally arrived over here. Before you start to one-up me... I know... it's 10 times hotter where you are. It wouldn't be so uncomfortable if it weren't for my pledge to ride the bike to work 3-4 days a week. Nothing like riding uphill, sandwiched between baked asphalt and the 100 degree sun to make you feel alive!

At times like this, I like to think of those less fortunate souls, like the people of Arizona. Then I get to remembering how awesome the metallic hardcore bands were that used to come out of that state. Unruh is a great example. I always reminisce fondly about their later LP, "Setting Fire To Sinking Ships," but I often forget the unbridled devastation of their early "Friendly Fire" 7". Upon first hearing the distorted chords of the title track, I thought for sure this was a lost Wellington recording. But the tempo changes later on verify that this is indeed Unruh, in its primal phase, setting down its blueprint for global annihilation.

"Friendly Fire" 7" (Edema/King Of The Monsters/Abiology Records)

Atolls And Serial Killers

Alright, broseph, here it is. The Southwest of the United States was a terrifying place in the mid 1990's, if you knew of the right bands. Two of these behemoths crossed streams circa 1996 to forge this little tainted eucharist of pure malevolence. Now you too can ingest the evil!

The Enewetak/Unruh split 7"

For When Life Is A Toilet...

Mike was interested in seeing some Wellington posted here; more than happy to oblige! The only reason I hadn't done so already was the possibility that their discography CD may still be in print, so this may be one of those limited-time-only downloads. So who the fludge was Wellington, you ask? Yeah, they were a little overlooked during their time, but not for any good reason. Historically, they were the primordial slurry that would one day ossify into Unruh. But let's get back to the topic at hand: Wellington played scathing sludge metal that could only be produced by the clinically depressed. Their guitar sound had all the subtlety of a rusty, runaway saw blade, the power of which seemed to disguise the fact that they were merely a trio. The longer tracks make good use of space at certain points, allowing the bass to come forward and lull us before the next attack. This tactic does wonders to enhance the power of the heavy parts, but those chilling, quiet junctures really add a compelling demension to the writing. Perfect music to stalk by, but if you're on any kind of medication, I wouldn't recommend listening to it all at once.

As I said, Deep Six supposedly has copies of the Discography left (?) as does Ebullition Records (if you've got 100 ducats to spring for an order). It's totally worth it. The layout is nice, but unfortunately the script is a bit small and I don't have a working scanner. I went ahead and included pics of the LP ("Thank You Jesus") and the split with Noothgrush to compensate. I may have to remove the link soon so...

download if you like Rorschach, Dystopia, 13, Graves At Sea, Noothgrush, Unruh, Enewetak...

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Part 1
Part 2