Sundays of Misfortune 5: Fields / Church of Broken Glass

By Andy Osborn. Hammers of Misfortune were my first introduction to John Cobbett, who quickly became one of my most beloved musicians. I seek out anything he contributes to from the essential genius of Ludicra to his recent supergroup of VHOL

By Andy Osborn.

Early this year Hammers of Misfortune made their discography available on Bandcamp (everything except for 2011's 17th Street). In the Sundays of Misfortune series Andy Osborn takes a look at each of the albums, concluding here with 2008's Fields / Church of Broken Glass.


Hammers of Misfortune were my first introduction to John Cobbett, who quickly became one of my most beloved musicians. I seek out anything he contributes to from the essential genius of Ludicra to his recent supergroup of VHOL... hell, even part of The Sims 2 video game soundtrack he wrote and recorded himself is fantastic and hilarious. Everything the man has touched is at the very least worthy of attention as he’s proven to be one of the country’s best metal songwriters. At the time of this double album’s release he was playing guitar in Hammers of Misfortune and Ludicra and had just finished working on Slough Feg’s best releases. There’s even a rumor that he had a brief live stint in Gwar. What I'm getting at is the man is dedicated to his craft and talented as hell. His unique galloping rhythms and spot-on palm muting technique are his trademark that he brings to all his recordings, and this double album is no exception.


Fields / Church of Broken Glass was written after a stark lineup change, and before yet another one. Mike Scalzi and Jamie Myers left the band, replaced by scene newcomers Patrick Goodwin and Jesse Quatro, who took control of vocal duties. Their addition makes this a different Hammers of Misfortune album since Scalzi’s soaring voice had become a mainstay of the band’s trademark sound. And the now-sextet cranked the dial from prog to Prog as the music takes a grander, more experimental turn. These changes result in the most polarizing work in the Hammers of Misfortune catalog, but one that still doesn't stray too far from their original mission.

The Hammond organ is more forward than ever and it occasionally shares a place in the spotlight with a Jethro Tull style flute and Floyd-esque songwriting that shows Hammers wearing their 70s English fandom on their sleeves. Some will argue this is a vast improvement, but the fact that their previous soft approach to this influence was part of their charm may make it a little disappointing to others. Coupled with the new, vastly different voice of Patrick Goodwin to get used to, there is a lot on the surface that makes this 70-minute epic less appealing on the first listen.

Sigrid Sheie & Jesse Quattro 2009. Photo by brandi.

Patience for multiple spins is essential as it helps soften the blow of the new direction, making clear that the old Hammers we know and love still lives and breathes. The double album is a powerful listen and fans of more traditional Prog will find themselves drooling. Besides, I’d rather see one of my favorite bands experiment with their already complex sound than rest on their laurels. But Lulu this ain't, as the foundation of exciting guitar-driven heavy metal and playful instrumentals is still clearly in full effect. Jesse Quattro quickly proves to be the bands most skilled female vocalist to date, her emotion on “Fields” is hauntingly beautiful, and the playful upbeat melodies on “Rats Assembly” and “Almost (Left Without You)” make them two of the finest songs in the Hammers catalog. John’s guitarwork on “Always Looking Down” and “The Gulls” is world class; he makes you realize that no matter what direction Hammers of Misfortune takes, their music will always be in safe hands under his leadership. I came into this review less excited than the others, but diving deeper into this album after so many years completely changed my mind about its importance to the band's legacy.

After this one-off release on Profound Lore, Hammers of Misfortune finally got the attention of a label worthy of their world-class skills and were offered a deal from Metal Blade Records. But that blade is double edged for us here, as this means there is no Bandcamp page available for the incredible follow-up to Fields / Church of Broken Glass, 17th Street. As for the band, it’s been over three years since that album, and there has been no mention as to what, if anything, will come next. And our thoughts go out to current vocalist Joe Hutton, who was recently involved in a serious motorcycle accident and is on the long road to recovery. But as all great art takes time, it’s best not to be impatient. I eagerly await whatever they decide to do next as their incredible two decade run as Unholy Cadaver and then Hammers of Misfortune has shown they are one of America's greatest heavy bands.





Note: 17th Street has since been released on Bandcamp and Sundays of Misfortune continues here.

Vastum - Patricidal Lust

By Justin C. 20 Buck Spin has released Vastum's second full-length, Patricidal Lust. Fans of the old-school, scuzzy death metal they played on their first album, Carnal Law, will find a lot to enjoy here, if "enjoy" is the right word to use for a band

By Justin C.

Artwork by Paolo Girardi

20 Buck Spin has released Vastum's second full-length, Patricidal Lust. Fans of the old-school, scuzzy death metal they played on their first album, Carnal Law, will find a lot to enjoy here, if "enjoy" is the right word to use for a band that bravely treads so far into uncomfortable lyrical territory.

Vastum 2011. Photo by brandi.

Patricidal Lust continues the twin vocal attack from Daniel Butler and Leila Abdul-Rauf. They nicely avoid the cliche of rough male vocals and pretty female vocals by having both singers growl. Their vocal deliveries are similar enough to mesh well, but different enough in pitch and timbre to justify having dual vocals. The riffs are also a great mix, from the Sabbath-y album opener of "Libidinal Spring" to the chugging of "3 AM in Agony" and the doomy crawl of the opening of "Incel." The band hasn't wandered far from the style of their debut album, but their songcraft is tighter, and the tracks are more engaging. While listening to the title track at work, I found myself pounding away on my keyboard rest to the slow-motion thrashy riffs, and given the generally high level of reserve I try to practice at work, that's quite a statement about how this music can draw you in.

Vastum 2011. Photo by brandi.

The title of the album and track titles like "Repulsive Arousal" give a good indication of the lyrical content, but it's not all shock value. Abdul-Rauf's lyrics, "The object of my affection / The source of my agony!" hints at a deeper analysis of human psychology then you'll see in less accomplished music. I generally try to avoid reading other reviews before writing up my own, but I think Brian Krasman over at Meat, Mead, Metal nails it when talking about the lyrics: "...it may sound like the band is writing about sexual depravity, and they are. But not of the slasher film, skeleton-feasting-on-a-female’s-genitals kind of way. Instead, they examine what’s going on in your head, how these things can form you and warp you as a human, and the very real, very scary things that go on in this realm every day." It may be a horror show, but it's a thinking man's horror show with a truly excellent soundtrack.

Portal - Vexovoid

Review by Natalie Zina Walschots. Originally published here by Exclaim.

Cover art by Kriss Hades

Heavy metal, as a genre, embraces and encourages strangeness. Works based upon eldritch, Lovecraft-ian evil are almost commonplace. Profound Lore has set itself apart as a label both by the quality and uniqueness of the releases it has put out. But even in this context, Portal stand out as exceptionally weird. Based in Australia, the band members label their music death metal, but that term does nothing to capture the alien, insectoid nature of their sound. Known for their gripping live shows, which see the band members don face-obscuring costumes, Portal are led by the towering Curator, who's been known to wear everything from a massive clock headpiece to tentacles on his hands, and spidery guitarist Horror Illogium.

Photo by brandi.

Portal are a band that never break character and Vexovoid is their fourth full-length release (along with two demos and two EPs), continuing their well-established theme of creating deep feelings of dread, alienation and confusion in the listener, all through exquisitely made and intelligently deployed aural assaults. The record gives new meaning to the phrase "ear worm" — these are not friendly tunes stuck in your head, but a carnivorous sound burrowing towards your sweet neo-cortex with every shrieking chord and shuddering drum blast. The Curator's voice is a dry, spidery rasp, conjuring the ticking horror of segmented legs. Whatever phobia you nurse — arachnids, snakes or the dark –—whatever the weakest points in your psyche are, Portal will sing a song for that particular broken place in your brain.

[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]

Atriarch - Ritual Of Passing

Review by Natalie Zina Walschots. Originally published here by Exclaim.

Artwork by Stevie Floyd.

Note: The review was written in 2012.

Portland, OR-based, doom-soaked, gothic death rock-drenched outfit Atriarch have had a dizzyingly prolific year. Their debut album, Forever the End, was released in 2011 and introduced their sound by painting a stark, spiky musical landscape. Earlier this year, their split with Alaric added breadth and depth, exploring the more emotive caverns and crevasses of the doom spectrum. Now, with sophomore effort The Ritual of Passing, Atriarch have tightened the seams between their various influences.

Photos by brandi.

The blackened quality of the guitar is no longer merely freezer-burnt in its chilliness, but genuinely hypothermic, spreading across the record organically like tendrils of hoarfrost. For all their noisy squall, Atriarch also masterfully deploy a much more controlled low end, a deep and rhythmic drone that evokes a sense of ritual and gravitas. It's the atmosphere of The Ritual of Passing that makes the record excellent, from the beckoning, creepy ominousness of "Altars" that sounds both like an invitation and a threat to the stalking, seductive horror of the outro. Atriarch have evolved from a promising band to watch to an act that have our undivided attention.

[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]