TERMINAL TRANSMISSION #46: BELIEVING THE STRANGEST THINGS

 TERMINAL TRANSMISSION #46:

BELIEVING THE STRANGEST THINGS

by Chris LaVigna (@Chris_LaVigna)/ featuring a review from Ray Berly (@autopsyturvy)

Pictured: Brak dutifully guarding my latest sigil

Today's TERMINAL TRANSMISSION was yet another solid entry into what will soon be a year's worth of top-quality internet radio insanity. I started things off hard and heavy with some New York Hardcore and Noise, moved into the Black Metal and Grindcore spheres of influence for a bit, then finished things off with some smooth, slinky, and synth-kissed Rock 'N' Roll, both inspired by the 1970s and from the actual decade itself.

It's the kind of mix that regular listeners of the show have undoubtedly come to expect from me, although I will admit that I've been going a bit light on the Anime OST Cuts and J-Rock Bangers. I should probably get around to fixing that soon...

My "Bandcamp Pick Of The Week" for this show was the new track from Yonkers' own We Are Not Our Bodies, "El Monstro." It's a perfectly titled track in my opinion,; it certainly feels like a monster of a track to me. The guitars (apparently recorded on an iPad running GarageBand) are chunky and heavy, the vocals push through my eardrums and take root in my brain with their blood-boiling lyrics that are directly inspired by the injustices of 2020 --the mantra "Worthless but essential" should be a battlecry for every person who has risked their health to stay alive during this wretched pandemic-- and the drums kick your ass out of the seat it was in and force you to stand up and, to borrow another line from the song "Say it with your fucking chest!" 

This week's show also featured another track recommendation from my main man Ray Berly. This week's pick was the song "Fair Lucifer, Sad Relic" from Canadian black metal band Spectral Wound. Check out Ray's review below:


SPECTRAL WOUND - FAIR LUCIFER, SAD RELIC - A DIABOLIC THIRST (APRIL 16, 2021)


I found Spectral Wound in 2019 after listening to their 2018 release Infernal Decadence and seeing them live in Québec at MDM MMXIX. I was met with a scandinavian-esque black metal assault on my ear drums. This is not all that unusual for bands from Québec, as most stick rather closely to that raw 90s era Scandinavian blueprint while still making it their own. The scene accurately captures the cold, dark, and harsh atmosphere of the frozen North. None more so than that of the 90’s Québecois pioneers, Tenebrae and Frozen Shadows. Fast forward nearly 30 years and you now have a band like Spectral Wound. However, they have sacrificed the lo-fi production and symphonic elements while maintaining the blasting, tremolo picking madness, and vocal cord shredding shrieking synonymous with the genre. They prove that you can effectively create the aforementioned atmosphere without sacrificing rather crisp production quality and still keeping it somewhat bare bones.


“Fair Lucifer, Sad Relic,” is the second single and fifth track off of the much anticipated album, A Diabolic Thirst, which is set to release on April 16th. Though only two songs have been released it seems the band picks up exactly where they left off with Infernal Decadence, which to me is a good thing. Immediately you’re dealt a ferocious blend of bombastic blasting and blood chilling, haunting, yet triumphant riffage. The first single and second track “Frigid and Spellbound” takes a more melodic, contemplative, and even catchy approach, which for this band is still sonically devastating. “Fair Lucifer, Sad Relic,” however, has a sense of foreboding, yet it beckons you to follow it through the darkness. Not to mention, the track absolutely rips. The band is exceptional at layering memorable, melodic riffs over rapid-fire drumming. They have locked down a formula that works yet both singles are so grand, rich, and different in tone, they beg for back to back listens. Needless to say, I am incredibly excited for this release."


-- Ray Berly


Be sure to check out future recommendations and reviews from Ray in future shows and posts! If you missed today's live broadcast, you can stream the recording here via the Kpiss website. You can also catch up on past shows here. See you all next week! Keep on livin' and lovin' the alien...


TT #46 TRACKLIST:

Seatbelts - Tank! (Cowboy Bebop Opening Theme)
Agnostic Front - Gotta Go
Madball - HeavenHell
We Are Not Our Bodies - El Monstro
Araña - Feminicido
Indentured - But Did You Die?
Hank Wood & The Hammerheads -Tomorrow
Spectral Wound - Fair Lucifer, Sad Relic
Pig Destroyer - The Cavalry
Rob Zombie - The Satanic Rites of Blacula
Rob Zombie - Get Loose
St. Vincent -  Pay Your Way In Pain
David Bowie - Breaking Glass
Adia Victoria - Different Kind Of Love (Live @ Fishcenter Live)


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