Awesome albums you've probably never heard of.

[kalfitegrdan]

Originally Posted by adamclark52

What the fuck is Sleastak anyway, who knows.

Aren't those the alien things from Land of the Lost?

[adamclark52]

Originally Posted by kalfitegrdan

Aren't those the alien things from Land of the Lost?

I think you're right. After I Google the album title to get the cover image I got a lot of images of them.

[adamclark52]

Kittens - Tiger Comet (Sonic Unyon, 1995)



Kittens was a band from Winnipeg, Manitoba. The closest artist I can compare them to is Today is the Day except their music was more simplistic. Just guitar, bass and drums and a guy SCREAMING into the microphone. Not the kind of music you think of when you think of Winnipeg. They are probably still one of the scariest bands I've heard from my life because they were just three seemingly normal guys. Their videos were awesome too and you can find most of them on YouTube. They broke up in the late 1990's.

Carpenter
Cougar
Superhorse

[AnataFan4Life]

Jimmie's Chicken Shack - Pushing the Salmanilla Envelope



Okay, so maybe this isn't exactly something most of you have never heard of, so much as it's something most have forgotten about.

The mid/late 90's post grunge wave spawned countless bands, one of them being Jimmie's Chicken Shack. The post grunge sound spawned a lot of generic, bland, radio friendly bands who all sounded the same. Fortunately, on Pushing the Salmanilla Envelope, Jimmie's Chicken Shack are able to avoid these musical pitfalls for a number of reasons. The first reason is that the musicians in this band are actually very talented. Most of them have background in funk music, and it is used to full effect. The notorious repetitive power chords that are normally abused by bands in this genre do appear here, but fortunately, these guys use them appropriately and don't completely rely on them, and instead mix it up a bit with some funky rhythms and finger licking guitar solos. The bass guitar is of special note, being very audible and contributes a lot to the funky nature of the album, contributing very creative basslines. Another reason that these guys stand out is because unlike most post grunge bands, THEY ACTUALLY KNOW HOW TO WRITE SONGS. All of the songs stand out in their own way, whether it be the hard rock of "Dropping Anchor", the Rage Against the Machine-esque "Spiderweb", or the funky, bouncy "High", every song has something to offer.

It's a shame they couldn't keep a hold of their unique blend of hard rock and funk displayed here, and instead succumbed to the commercialization of their peers on later releases. This is definitely a great album for those of you seeking a fun, enjoyable hard rock record.

High
Dropping Anchor
Spiderweb

[AnataFan4Life]

Devil Doll - The Girl Who Was...Death



Where do I begin with this...album.

This has to be, without a shadow of a doubt, one of the strangest, most outlandish pieces of music I have ever listened to. This album is one of those "one big song" albums (all of Devil Doll's music is), and it all comes from the deranged mind of a man simply known as Mr. Doctor. Categorizing this album into a specific genre is a chore in of itself. This album seamlessly shifts and morphs through so many different styles, ranging from classical, symphonic, progressive rock, gothic rock, heavy metal, avant-garde, and more. Yet it never sounds forced, instead contributing to the album's dark, unsettling, murky atmosphere. Of special note is Mr. Doctor's vocals. If you think Mike Patton had strange vocals, this guy is going to throw you in for a loop. I can't really describe how he sings, you just have to hear it for yourself. This entire album sounds like the soundtrack to a huge mind fuck, as synths, strings, and keyboards flutter in between heavy metal riffs.

This album isn't for everyone, and may take multiple listens to really sink in, but if it does, you will be rewarded with a great piece of art that was truly ahead of it's time (this was released in 1989).

The Girl Who Was...Death

[zgodt]

NoMeansNo is outstanding. Probably my favorite band.

[AnataFan4Life]

Carcariass - Sideral Torment



Symbolic with gutturals? That's a good way to describe this album (and this band, for that matter). They are one of the more overlooked bands in the French death metal scene, which is kinda surprising considering how good they are. Anyways, this album is a kickass piece of progressive/technical death metal. This album is bursting at the seams with guitar solos. Every song has at least one (usually two or three), but don't think this is all pointless showmanship. The songs have plenty of catchy, headbangable riffs and melodies. It never gets boring despite the high level of technicality displayed. As I mentioned earlier, there is a large amount of later-era Death influence present, especially in some of the riff choices and scales for the solos, though they mix it up with some neoclassical influences.

If you want a more old school take on tech-death that is free from any sort of modern trappings, give this album a spin!

Distributed Thinking
Led By Ignorance
Insect Killers