Amoeba san francisco Staff
Now That I Have The Attention What Do I Do With It (LP)
Septic Death
This classic thrash album rips so hard my 40-something ass wants to get in the pit.
Read more
Josten Warrick
Amoeba San Francisco
Black artist of all formats Bay Area enjoyer and United States Air Force Veteran
Doc
Amoeba San Francisco
"Too dumb for New York City, too ugly for L.A."
Carving the Causeway to the Otherworld (LP)
Coscradh
Look, the band's name translates to "triumph in slaughter." Pretty straightforward right? Mostly right. The Irish horde deliver an expertly crafted slab of sanguine death metal. Boasting plenty of caveman riffage, touches of black metal harmonic sensibilities, and some truly bizarre vocal choices, this is still my top pick for metal AOTY. Apologies in advance to your neighbors.
Read more
The Mother of Darkness (LP)
Possession
After "Exorkizein" I largely wrote off Possession as one of the lesser underground bands of the era. My bad. Possession's new record cements them as being worthy of the praise they have garnered over the last 14 years of toiling away in the underground. Also, just look at the cover. It's got an evil knight sacrificing a baby to some Lovecraftian unspeakable horror from the outer dark. Hell yeah.
Read more
Morulus (LP)
Vorago
Well this is a nice surprise. Seemingly out of nowhere, Vorago emerge with a succinct, but substantial fist in the face of God. If you've ever wondered what Antichrist Siege Machine would sound like with Pete Helmkamp in the mix, and with more cavernous production, this should sate your curiosity.
Read more
Taurunovem - Th'Astrakyal Serfdome (LP)
Necropolissebeht
More dismal black/death psychedelia in the vein of Teitanblood? With Ryan Förster going nuts on top of everything? Yes, please :)
Read more
Absurdus Manifestus (LP)
Stepmother
My favorite thing about things that rock is that they rock. My favorite thing about things that rock that Graham Clise plays on is that he's really fucking good at guitar and also rocks.
Read more
Hybris Divina (LP)
Oraculum
After a series of EP's and demos spanning the last decade, Oraculum drops their full length opus. If you're a fan of the aforementioned material or the members' other projects (Wrathprayer, Deathwards, Theurgia) you know the deal. Occult death metal esotericism presented in its rawest form. Pretentious? Absolutely. But it's undeniably correct.
Read more
Infernal Commands (LP)
Thy Killing Hand
Boy these mystery men from Poland sure do sound a lot like Cultes Des Ghoules! Must be a coincidence! Snarkiness aside, this is a nasty little journey through the swampy backwaters of the black metal world. If you're looking for something to slide in next to your Doombringer records, or Sodality records, or Death Like Mass....yeah it sounds like Cultes Des Ghoules, but I'm all the way in.
Read more
Pillion (BLU)
Harry Lighton
Easily the best new movie I've seen all year. Even as someone who's an outsider to the community depicted in the film (despite having devoted a significant chunk of my life to a separate subculture which owes its entire asthetic to the queer BDSM community) it's impossible to deny the common threads at the heart of the film. Sure, the details might not be something *everyone* can relate to, but we've all dealt with heartache in some form or another, and it's refreshing to watch something that's emotionally vulnerable without venturing into Zach Braff levels of navel-gazing saccharine slop.
Read more
Vinnie Esparza
Amoeba San Francisco
You don't need a special occasion to eat cake.
Dub Conference in London (LP)
The Simeons
Astounding early 80's UK dub. Obscure and brilliant.
Read more
I'm Still Here
Sugar Minott
Cover of The Notations soul classic and produced by Victor Axelrod. Nuff said.
Read more
Cheo (LP)
Cheo Feliciano
Excellent salsa from 1971. Includes the essential cut "Anacaona".
Read more
